Nine-year-old boy drowns in pit beside Dwarka expressway

A nine-year-old boy allegedly drowned in a water-filled pit created by construction work on the Dwarka Expressway in Sector 109, police said on Tuesday.

The minor has been identified as Rishabh and his body was found at around 9am on Tuesday after police contacted workers at the construction site who drained the pit using a pump. The boy’s slipper and clothes were discovered near the pit by his parents.

According to primary investigation, Rishabh reached the spot with a few friends to bathe in the pit at around 6pm on Monday. His friends got scared and fled from the spot after he drowned. They didn’t even inform their parents about the incident after returning home, police said.

Rishabh’s mother returned home at around 7pm and was surprised to not find him home. She asked neighbours who told her that they had spotted him playing around 6pm. Once his father returned home, the couple started looking for the boy and later informed police after failing to find him. They continued to look for him through the night and got to know on Tuesday morning that some children were spotted near the water-filled pit the day before.

Inspector Parveen Kumar, station house officer, Rajendra Park police station, said that the parents have ruled out any foul play. “They have submitted a written complaint that their child drowned while playing. Police are carrying out an inquiry under Section 174 of the Code of Criminal Procedure on the basis of their complaint. The body has been sent for autopsy,” he said.