3-year-old girl falls into open sump, dies

CHENNAI: An open sump at a construction site in Old Pallavaram turned a watery grave for a three-year-old girl, who was playing with other children, on Tuesday morning. Police said that Anusuya, had fallen into the sump and drowned in the rainwater that had stagnated in it.Anusuya’s mother Damayanthi (30), who was living in a hut near the construction site, found her daughter missing around 10.30 am. Spotting one of the slabs used to cover a sump nearby missing, she and her neighbours thrust a stick into the sump to check if the girl had fallen into it and found her body inside, police added.The family had relocated to Old Pallavaram from Ulundurpet in Villupuram district six months ago and Anusuya’s father Muthu (35) worked as a watchman in the under-construction apartment complex. Police said that the construction of the nine-flat apartment complex was stalled eight months ago due to a litigation and that the sump had water up to five feet. The girl’s mother was a daily wage labourer. On Tuesday, she did not go to work and Anusuya, along with her five-year-old brother Dhanush, were playing with other children. Police further said that Muthu was anaemic and that it was his wife who had found their daughter missing.Police have registered a case under Section 304 (A) of the IPC. “The owner is in Bangalore and we have registered a case of negligence as the sump was left open. We have called him over phone to come for an inquiry,” said a police official.