3-Year-Old, Missing For 10 Days, Found Dead In Drain In Delhi: Cops

The body of a three-year-old boy, who had gone missing from his home in southeast Delhi earlier this month, was recovered from a drain near his residence in the Jaitpur area on Friday, police said.

The child had been reported missing on January 13 from Khadda Colony.

According to the police, a missing complaint was lodged by the boy's father Raju, who is a autorickshaw driver.

The police said there was a delay in reporting the incident following which investigators narrowed down the possible time of disappearance to a three-hour window between 12 noon and 3 pm on January 13.

Based on the complaint, an FIR was registered and a detailed investigation was initiated immediately, they said.

"A team comprising 16 police personnel was constituted to trace the child. As part of the investigation, technical surveillance was carried out and footage from over 100 CCTV cameras installed in the surrounding lanes and connecting streets was examined," a senior police officer said.

Police also verified the movement of more than 80 auto-rickshaw drivers who had passed through the area during the suspected time window.

The body was recovered at around 2.30 pm on Friday and appeared to be water-swollen, indicating that it had remained submerged for a considerable period, they said.

The crime team and forensic experts were immediately rushed to the spot and conducted a thorough examination of the scene.

Officials said the autopsy will help ascertain the exact cause of death and determine whether there was any involvement of criminal activity. Further investigation will continue based on the findings of the post-mortem report.

Raju, the child's father, told PTI that his three-year-old son went missing on January 13 while playing outside their house. After searching nearby areas for several hours, the family lodged a missing complaint with the police.

"We found his body after 10 days in a drain. There were injuries on his face and head. We suspect that my child was kidnapped and murdered," Raju claimed, demanding a thorough investigation into the circumstances leading to his son's disappearance and death.

He said the family had no enmity with anyone, but insisted that the police must ascertain how the child went missing and what happened to him. "He was just three years old," he said.

The child's uncle said the boy went missing at around 2 pm while playing outside their residence. Raju also has a six-month-old daughter.

"We are suspecting foul play and request the police to investigate the entire case properly," the uncle said.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)