Mhow (Madhya Pradesh): A three-and-a-half-year-old child died after a car caught fire in the Simrol police station area of Mhow tehsil on Saturday.
Police said the child, Chirag, had been left inside the car by his father, Sanjay Bahedia, 29, a resident of Ralamandal, while he stepped out to repair a vehicle nearby.
According to reports, Bahedia had gone to repair a friend’s DJ vehicle that had broken down. He parked his car, rolled down the windows and left Chirag seated inside due to the heat.
After about 30 minutes, a fire broke out inside the car. Passersby noticed smoke and alerted Bahedia, who rushed to the vehicle along with the DJ vehicle owner, Manish. They tried to open the doors, but the locking system had jammed. After breaking a window, they managed to douse the flames with water and a fire extinguisher.
The child suffered severe burns and died in the incident
Police said Chirag was initially seated in the front passenger seat, but his body was later found on the rear seat, suggesting he may have tried to escape as the fire spread, possibly from the dashboard.
A team from the Forensic Science Laboratory has inspected the vehicle and collected evidence. SHO Kuldeep Khatri said the exact cause of the fire is yet to be ascertained. Police have registered a case and further investigation is underway.
