A tragic incident occurred in a makeshift settlement on the outskirts of Bengaluru, where a 12-year-old boy lost his life after entering a water sump near his family's temporary shelter. The incident took place at Bellahalli village near Yelahanka on June 4. The deceased, identified as Ariful Islam, was the son of migrant scrap collectors from Assam. According to a complaint filed by his father, Nur Bokto Miah, the boy was playing with his younger brother, Shorifullah, around 2 pm when two women approached them. The women allegedly handed the children a bucket and asked Ariful to get into the sump to collect water and clean it.
Moments later, Shorifullah ran back to the family's shed crying and screaming for help. He led his father to the sump, stating that Ariful had entered it after being instructed to do so. Miah found his son floating face down and motionless in the sump, which reportedly contained 1.5 to 2 feet of water. Other labourers living in nearby sheds joined the rescue effort. Shorifullah told them that the women had offered money to the children to fetch water and clean the sump. Family members and neighbours present at the scene suspected that Ariful may have suffered an electric shock. A man at the spot allegedly removed a wire connected to a water motor before the boy was pulled out.
Ariful was rushed in a scrap-collecting autorickshaw to a nearby clinic, where doctors advised the family to shift him to a hospital. He was taken to Yelahanka government hospital, where doctors declared him brought dead. In his complaint, Miah accused house owner Syed Imran Ali, his wife, and daughter of negligence. He alleged that his son was asked to enter the sump without any safety precautions and may have died of electrocution or suffocation. A senior police officer stated that postmortem findings indicated entry and exit wounds on the boy's body, suggesting electrocution was the cause of death.
Bagalur police have registered a case under Section 106 of Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (causing death by negligence) and provisions of the Child Labour (Prohibition and Regulation) Act. Cops also arrested Imran Ali, who was later released on bail and served a notice to cooperate with the investigation. The victim's family, which survives by collecting and selling scrap, has demanded strict action against those responsible for the boy's death. Police said they are still investigating the circumstances behind the incident, including whether the child was offered money to clean the sump.
