Ghaziabad: A six-year-old boy chasing a kite drowned in a pond inside a cremation ground in Ankur Vihar, with rescuers battling garbage and sludge in the water before his body could be recovered nearly 24 hours later.The child, Aatif of Buddha Nagar Colony, went missing on Sunday evening after leaving home to play. His father, Arif, a daily wager at an idol factory in Loni, said the family initially believed the Class 3 student had gone for private tuitions.“We thought he had gone to his private tutor. When he did not return home by 8pm, we went to his coaching class and found he had never arrived. After that, we informed police and started searching for him,” Arif said.As the search widened, children from the area told the family that Aatif had been chasing kites near the cremation ground. Police then checked CCTV footage, which showed him entering the compound. His slippers were later found on the edge of the pond inside the premises.That led police and residents to suspect he had entered the water while trying to retrieve a kite.Police said a search began on Sunday evening, but rescue efforts were severely hampered by the condition of the pond. Yogendra Singh Panwar, SHO of Ankur Vihar police station, said NDRF teams were called in immediately, but the pond was so choked with waste that their boat could not operate properly.“The pond was full of garbage and waste material, which prevented the boat from moving ahead. The operation, moreover, had to be stopped at night because of the darkness,” Panwar said.Police said an excavator and municipal sanitation workers were also deployed as rescuers first had to clear filth from the pond before the search could continue effectively. On Monday morning, more than 10 divers were called in.“Around 4pm on Monday, the divers recovered the body. It has been sent for autopsy and the report is awaited,” the SHO said.Police said the initial inquiry suggested Aatif had been playing with friends before running after a kite. “He appears to have reached the pond while chasing it and removed his slippers before entering the water,” Panwar said.Police said the family had not submitted a written complaint till late on Monday evening.
