Locked in Delhi farmhouse for 72 hours; baby dies, sister saved

The children were reportedly playing hide and seek in the vicinity when the caretaker locked the farmhouse but failed to notice them inside. They were reported missing three days ago.

A one-year-old girl was found dead and her three-year-old sister was found unconscious on Monday, 72 hours after they were accidentally locked inside a farmhouse in west Delhi’s Nihal Vihar area.

A baby girl was found dead and her 3-year-old sister was found unconscious inside a farmhouse in west Delhi. (Representational Image: Shutterstock)

The children were reportedly playing hide and seek in the vicinity when the caretaker locked the farmhouse but failed to notice them inside. They were reported missing three days ago.

The caretaker was arrested for causing death due to negligence. The initial investigation revealed the infant died of thirst and hunger, sources said.

The girls were accidentally locked up for over 72 hours, while playing hide and seek. The two girls had reportedly gone missing three days ago. Their father, who works as a caretaker at the adjacent farmhouse, looked everywhere but could not find them. He lodged a missing complaint at Nihal Vihar police station.

Police said that on Monday afternoon the girls were spotted inside the hall of the farmhouse, by the caretaker who returned to clean the house.

“There was no water or food inside the hall where the kids were locked. The caretaker was not aware that the kids were hiding inside so he locked the gate from outside and went home. He returned after three days, he found the one-year-old dead and the three-year-old was unconscious,” DCP west, Pushpender Kumar, said.

The police have arrested the caretaker, Manoj, for causing death due to negligence and also sections of kidnapping.