VIJAYAWADA: The bodies of three children, who went missing from their house on Monday evening, were found floating in a canal on the outskirts of Edara village of Agiripalli mandal on Tuesday evening. The deceased were identified as Kagga Sashank (11), his younger sister Kagga Chandrika (9) and their neighbour’s son Gandikota Jagadish (8).
Nuzvid deputy superintendent of police (DSP) B Sreenivasulu said the three children, who were playing in front of their home, went missing on Monday evening. When the search for their children in the neighbourhood proved futile, the parents lodged a complaint with the police, who formed six teams to trace the kids. The photos of the missing children were shared in WhatsApp groups and with village volunteers, but in vain.
Later, a few villagers found the bodies of three children floating in Sobhanapuram canal. Though the police and Jyothi, mother of Sashank and Chandrika, suspected that her husband Murali might have kidnapped the children to take revenge on her over personal disputes, the police said it might be an accidental drowning.
“After parting ways with husband Murai, Jyothi is living with her parents, who are daily wage workers. Jyothi is also working in the daytime. An eyewitness told us children were spotted near the canal and that he warned them to leave the place. The bodies were sent to Nuzvid Government Hospital for postmortem and a case has been registered,” said the DSP Sreenivasulu.