Overview

• Two-year-old Ankush Thakur was found near Dakitand pond in Giridih on Sunday after a roughly 16-hour search that used excavators and pumps during heavy rain.
• Police and district officials said the family’s motorcycle struck a section of drain left open for cleaning during festival preparations at a junction where three drains converge.
• The child’s mother told police the family was walking beside the drain when the boy slipped into fast-moving water.
• Municipal commissioner Prashant Layek said the drain was covered and that CCTV checks did not show the child entering the drain.
• Authorities reported drowning as the cause of death, completed the postmortem, handed over the body, and provided assistance as residents briefly blocked a road demanding safety measures.