A seven-year-old boy who went missing during a temple festival in Tamil Nadu's Madurai district was found dead inside a parked SUV on Saturday, two days after he disappeared.
Police say the child likely became trapped in the vehicle while playing hide-and-seek and died after being unable to get out.
The boy, identified as Shanmugavelan, had travelled with his family to visit his grandmother for a temple festival on Thursday. Amid the noise and bustle of the celebrations, the family realised he was missing and lodged a complaint with the police, but did not check the nearby parked vehicles.
Investigators believe the child may have entered the SUV on his own while playing and accidentally locked himself inside. Police said no one would have heard his cries for help due to the loud festivities around the temple.
The vehicle belongs to a doctor from the area, and police have ruled out foul play after a preliminary inquiry.
The child's body was discovered on Saturday. A post-mortem was conducted, and a police officer told NDTV, "He died of suffocation."
