A four-year-old boy allegedly fell into an open sewer manhole near a drain in West Delhi’s Baprola area on Tuesday afternoon, triggering a massive rescue operation involving the Delhi Police, Fire Services and the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), officials said.
The incident was reported to Ranhola Police Station at around 3.21 pm after the child went missing near Kheri Baba Pul along the ‘Ganda Nala’ in the Nangli Vihar Extension area, they said.
According to preliminary information, the child had accompanied his mother to Dass Garden Park. While moving towards the drain side to relieve himself, he allegedly slipped and fell into a sewer manhole located alongside a service road running parallel to the drain.
Police teams rushed to the spot soon after receiving information and launched rescue efforts in coordination with emergency response agencies. Fire brigade personnel and divers conducted an extensive search operation in and around the sewer network and adjoining drain channels.
Officials said the operation continued for several hours as rescuers battled challenging conditions, including the strong flow of wastewater and poor visibility inside the drain system.
Sources said rescue divers searched the affected stretch for nearly seven hours before the operation was further intensified with the deployment of NDRF personnel equipped for specialized search and recovery efforts.
A case has been registered under Section 106(1) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), police said.
As of late evening, the child had not been traced and search operations were continuing. Authorities were monitoring the situation closely while rescue teams expanded the search area along the drain in an effort to locate the boy.
The incident has once again raised concerns over the safety of open sewer lines and manholes in residential localities, particularly in densely populated unauthorized colonies where children frequently play near roadside drains and civic infrastructure.
Further investigation is underway.
–The End
