A two-year-old boy was found dead inside a Tata Indica car in Navi Mumbai on Tuesday morning, having suffocated after accidentally locking himself inside while playing. Miraculously, his three-year-old cousin, who was also with him, managed to live despite being locked in the car with him for nearly 24 hours.
According to residents of Kamothe village, the children, Raj Petkar (3) and Sakshi Gondhali (2) were playing outside Raj’s house in the Hanuman Temple square in Kamothe when they went missing on Monday.
Their absence was noticed at around 10.30 am, and an alarm was raised.
“We searched for both the children all day, but to no avail. We finally registered a missing persons complaint in their name. However, on Tuesday morning, one of our neighbours, Sunil Patil, opened his Indica car which he had parked at the square across the road from Raj’s residence and found both of them inside,” said Pramod Bhagat, who stays in the area.
Sakshi was scared but looked unhurt, while Raj was unconscious. Both the children were rushed to the municipal hospital in Kamothe, where Raj was declared dead before admission.
“Both children were in the space between the front and the passenger seats. We believe they entered the car, which was not locked, while playing but could not get out. They might not have been able to open the door due to their tender age. There are superficial injuries on Raj’s body, and there is no suspicion of foul play. In any case, it would be hardly possible for anyone to commit murder in a crowded square,” said Suresh Pawar, assistant commissioner of police, Navi Mumbai.
Raj’s post-mortem report, which arrived on Tuesday evening, has confirmed death due to suffocation. An accidental death report has been registered in connection with the incident. Raj’s father runs a security agency in Navi Mumbai, while his mother is a housewife, the police said.