Bodies of missing two-year-old boy, father fished out of canal in Ludhiana

Ludhiana police officials say initial investigations suggest that the father, who was suffering from mental stress, looks to have jumped into the canal with his son

Police recovered the bodies of a two-year-old boy and his father, missing since Saturday, from a canal in a span of 48 hours.

Bodies of the missing two-year-old boy and his father were fished out of a canal in Ludhiana. (HT File)

The deceased have been identified as residents of Mahavir Jain Colony, Haibowal.

Probe officials said initial investigations suggest that the father, who was suffering from mental stress, looks to have jumped into the canal with his son.

The deceased’s wife had earlier lodged a missing complaint with the police on Sunday evening, saying that her husband and son had been missing since Saturday evening.

Sharing further details, Dugri station house officer (SHO) inspector Madhu Bala said a case under Section 346 (wrongful confinement in secret) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) had at the time been registered. Police had then initiated a search operation.

During the searches, the deceased’s motorcycle was found near the canal. A team of divers were then called in and they recovered the body of the two-year-old boy on Monday. Gaurav, however, remained missing until Tuesday, but his body was also fished out of the same canal.

“After an extensive operation, we have now recovered the father’s body from the Canal near Jawaddi bridge,” the SHO said.

Post-mortem examinations were conducted on both bodies, following which they were handed over to the family.

According to family members, the deceased had been undergoing treatment for depression and had previously been admitted to Dayanand Medical College and Hospital for a few days. His wife reported that he frequently spoke about wanting to end his life.