Thane: Skeletal remains of two-yr-old boy found in jungle three months after he went missing

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Police in Maharashtra's Thane district has found skeletal remains of a two-year-old boy who went missing more than three months ago, an official said on Friday.

The toddler's skull and some clothing were found in a jungle in Shahapur on Thursday, PTI reported.

A farmer working in a field at Kumbaicha pada in Khardi found the broken skull of the boy and a shirt, inspector Anant Parad of Shahapur police station said.

The child went missing on April 29, after he accompanied his mother when she went to collect wood in the jungle, he said.

A case of kidnapping was registered and a search was launched for the child, the official said.

The child's parents have identified the remains, he said, adding that the skull and the clothing have been sent for analysis.

It is suspected that the boy was killed by a wild animal and his body was abandoned. A case of accidental death has been registered, the official said.

Meanwhile, search and rescue teams of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) recovered two more bodies from the debris at the landslide-affected Irshalwadi village in Maharashtra's Raigad district, taking the toll to 18.

Both the deceased were women, he said.

Also read: Raigad landslide: NDRF recovered two more bodies; death toll rises to 18

NDRF teams resumed their search and rescue operation at the landslide site, located in a hilly terrain, around 6.30 am amid rainfall in the area after suspending the exercise overnight, said the official.

Local villagers and relatives of the people trapped under the debris are assisting the rescue teams, he said.

The massive landslide hit Irshalwadi, a tribal village located on a hill slope in the coastal district, around 80km from Mumbai, on Wednesday night.

Heavy rains lashed Mumbai Friday, inundating low-lying areas and disrupting vehicular traffic in the city and its suburbs.

Most parts of the city and suburbs witnessed a heavy spell of rains, which caused waterlogging in some low-lying areas at Andheri, Kurla, Ghatkopar, Chembur and some other places.

The Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport (BEST) Ltd diverted buses on more than 12 routes due to waterlogging in Sion in the afternoon, an official said.

Apart from this, motorists and pedestrians were severely inconvenienced as the Andheri subway was closed for traffic due to waterlogging.

The railway authorities maintained that trains on the Western, Central and Harbour lines were running normally, while the commuters complained of a delay of up to 10 to 15 minutes in the services.

As per India Meteorological Department's weather warning issued at 1 pm, "moderate to intense spells of rain are very likely to occur at isolated places" of Mumbai in the next three to four hours, a civic official said. (Agencies)