One-year-old chokes to death after swallowing screw

Deputy commissioner of police (north) Nupur Prasad said the Sushruta Trauma Centre authorities informed them about the incident around midnight.

A one-year-old child choked to death after accidentally swallowing an iron screw that was stuck in his throat, at his home in north Delhi’s Wazirabad on Tuesday night, police said.

A one-year-old child choked to death after accidentally swallowing an iron screw that was stuck in his throat, at his home in north Delhi’s Wazirabad on Tuesday night (HT File (Representataive Image))

No case was registered, police said, adding they did not suspect any foul play.

Deputy commissioner of police (north) Nupur Prasad said the Sushruta Trauma Centre authorities informed them about the incident around midnight.

The child’s autopsy was conducted on Wednesday and his body was later handed over to his family members. According to police, doctors told them the screw blocked the food pipe and the child died of asphyxiation.

The child, identified as Rehan, has been living with his parents at a rented room in Wazirabad for the past 10 months. They are natives of Bhagalpur district in Bihar. Rehan was the only child of his parents. His father, Mustafa, works as an air-conditioner mechanic.

According to police, Mustafa had planned to return to his hometown because he was not able to take care of his wife and child with his meagre income in the national Capital. The family had to catch a train on Tuesday.

“It appears that the toddler accidentally swallowed the one-and-a-half inch screw and it got stuck in the food pipe. His mother told us that she saw her son having hiccups and writhing on the floor. Soon, he fell unconscious. She could not understand what had happened to her son. The mother raised an alarm and informed her neighbours about it,” said a police officer who asked not to be named.

Police said the toddler’s parents and neighbours rushed him to the hospital where he was declared brought dead. The doctors conducted an X-ray and found a screw stuck in the child’s throat. They removed the screw before sending the body for autopsy, police said.