Hyderabad: Delay in starting a search operation due to jurisdictional disputes between Hyderabad and Cyberabad police, as well as a power outage, could have hampered the search and rescue of an eight-year-old child, who fell into a nala on Friday and whose body was found in the Hussainsagar on Sunday.
Syed Muzammil, the eight-year-old, fell into an open nala in Begumpet police limits on Friday. The child’s body was eventually found in the Hussainsagar on Saturday, over 5 km.
Muzammil, a resident of Sanathnagar, slipped into an open nala in Fathenagar while playing with his five-year-old brother, at about 4 pm on Friday. Muzammil shouted for help, and his brother rushed to notify their parents.
"The parents came to the place and initially conducted a search for their son. When they couldn’t find him, they informed the Sanathnagar police, the nearest police station to the spot. The Sanathnagar police visited the place and conducted a search for the boy, but the heavy water flow hindered their efforts. We then informed Begumpet police as the incident occurred within their jurisdiction," said Sanathnagar inspector K. Srinivasulu.
The Begumpet police arrived at the scene at 5.50 pm and registered a missing case.
Begumpet police registered a missing person case for Muzammil. Begumpet inspector C. Ramaiah confirmed that the case was linked to the boy who had fallen into the nala.
"The boy was a resident of Sanathnagar, and the incident took place under Begumpet police jurisdiction. His body was traced on Saturday in the Hussainsagar," Ramaiah added.
Begumpet police delayed the process on Saturday and said they were unable to search the nala which is covered.
The parents alleged that the search efforts were delayed on Friday night due to power outages and confusion over police jurisdiction. "Due to power failure and jurisdictional issues, the search operation was further hampered," they claimed.
Secretariat police inspector M. Satyanarayana reported that tourists visiting Hussainsagar on Saturday noticed a body floating in the water near a water park and informed the police. "Immediately, the Secretariat police arrived at the location and retrieved the body from the lake. During the inquiry, it was confirmed that the deceased was Syed Muzammil, who had gone missing after falling into the nala on Friday. By Saturday afternoon, his body was discovered floating in the lake," Satyanarayana explained.Satyanarayana further stated, "We informed Begumpet police, who registered the missing case, transferred the body to the mortuary for postmortem, and the Begumpet police will continue investigating the case."
