Nangli Vihar sewer death: Delhi Police collects parents’ DNA samples, issue notice to DJB official

The Delhi Police have collected DNA samples from the parents of a four-year-old boy who fell into an open sewer in west Delhi’s Nangli Vihar, to establish the identity of the remains recovered from a sewage treatment plant, an officer said.

The remains of Imran were recovered around 2.30 pm on Wednesday from a treatment plant nearly seven kilometres from the spot where he had fallen into the sewer, following a search operation that lasted around 23 hours and involved police, fire brigade and National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) teams.

Given the condition of the remains, the police decided to conduct DNA profiling for scientific identification. The samples collected from the parents will be matched with DNA extracted from the recovered remains, the officer said.

Meanwhile, the Delhi Police have issued a notice to a Delhi Jal Board official, asking him to join the investigation and explain his position in connection with the incident.

The Delhi Commission for Protection of Child Rights (DCPCR) has also taken suo motu cognisance of the boy’s death and issued notices to the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD), Delhi Jal Board, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Outer District) and the Station House Officer of Ranhola, seeking action-taken reports within two weeks.

The commission has scheduled the next hearing in the matter for December 15.

The incident took place on Tuesday afternoon when Imran fell into an open sewer near Das Garden Park in Nangli Vihar while playing.

The police have registered an FIR on charges of causing death by negligence and initiated an investigation into the circumstances leading to the incident.

A Delhi Jal Board official had earlier said the sewer manhole was quite deep and several trunk manholes, ranging from 10 to 20 feet in depth, were located along the seven-kilometre stretch.

The sewer pipelines are laid at a gradient to allow wastewater to flow without pumping. The possibility that the child was swept away by the water current towards the treatment plant after falling into the manhole is being examined.

The official had also said the remains could have suffered extensive damage after coming into contact with the sewer walls, old iron and metal pieces, and exposed iron rods during the passage through the pipeline.