A three-year-old boy in Bengaluru has been missing for two days after falling into an unfenced stormwater drain. Kabir Saud, a resident of Varthur area, was playing with a friend on the afternoon of Sunday, October 16, when he accidentally fell into an uncovered stormwater drain in the area. His friend rushed to Kabir’s mother, to inform her of the incident. However, when she rushed to the spot, Kabir was nowhere to be found.
Binod, Kabir’s father, was not at home when the incident occurred. With the help of her neighbours, Sapna alerted the fire department and emergency services. After two days of searching in vain, on Tuesday, October 18, the police and fire officials notified the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) to start looking for the boy who had been swept away. “Two rescue teams from the fire and emergency services, with around 25 men and expert swimmers reached the spot by 5 pm, Sunday. We could search only for some time as it soon turned dark. The rescue operation resumed at 9 am on Monday and we covered around 4 km. The drain runs in the direction of Hoskote and has more water flow than normal due to continuous rain. Further, silt is causing major hindrance to our progress," the Times of India quoted a fire officer saying.
Kabir’s mother, Sapna Bhora, works as a domestic worker, while his father, Binod Saud, is a food delivery executive. The couple moved to the city in 2020 from Nepal, and three-year-old Kabir is their only child. This is not the first time that children have gone missing after falling into open drains in Bengaluru. Mohammad Zain, a four-year-old who lived in JJR Nagar, went missing in August 2019 after he was swept away in an SWD. His body was discovered five days later. A six-year-old went missing in a similar manner in July 2020 in Marathahalli, and her body has not yet been recovered.