Hit by an e-rickshaw, child slips out of mother’s arms into pan of boiling oil

“A confectioner was frying snacks in the pot he had placed on the roadside. When the woman tripped, her child fell into the pan of oil. Once she had regained her balance, she realised that he son was in the pan. She dipped her hands in the oil and tried to fish him out. However, she could not save him and sustained burn injuries herself,” a senior police officer said.

Eyewitnesses told police that no one came forward to help Pinky even as she kept shouting for help. The confectioner too reportedly ran inside the shop, police said.

A PCR call was made by a passerby who rushed the two to the hospital, police said. The errant e-rickshaw driver, meanwhile, left his vehicle behind and fled.

“We have impounded the e-rickshaw but the driver fled. We will contact the e-rickshaw dealer to ascertain the identity of the driver. We are also examining the CCTV footage of the market for the same,” a police officer said. Police have also asked passengers of the e-rickshaw to give a description of the driver.

Police said they were questioning the confectioner who witnessed the incident but reportedly did not do anything to help the woman and her son. “The confectioner may be booked as he had placed the pan of hot oil outside his shop. He had encroached the space meant for pedestrians that led to the unfortunate incident. We have also contacted the municipal corporation. Investigation is on,” the officer said.