Toddler drowns in temple pond in Ranipet

A two-and-half-year-old boy drowned in a temple pond near Arcot town in Ranipet. The police said he has been identified as B. Lakshan, son of couple S. Babu, 32, and B. Megala, 28. Babu works as a mason and Megala is a cook at Thoppu Karuppasamy temple in the area.

Initial inquiry revealed that the family was living in a rented house near the town. As Babu went for work, Megala and her son went to the temple where she was in charge of preparing food for free distribution to devotees.

The police said that Megala left her son on the temple premises before she went to the open kitchen to oversee food preparation. After completing her work, Megala searched for her son, but she was unable to find him.

The police said that, along with temple staff, Megala searched for her son and found him in the temple tank. Based on an alert, Arcot Town police rushed to the spot. The body of the boy was recovered and sent to Government Taluk Hospital in Walajah for a post-mortem. A case was registered and further probe is under way.