2-year-old boy, falls to death from second floor balcony

CHENNAI: A two-year-old boy fell to his death from the second floor of a house on Dargah Street in Otteri on Wednesday night.
Police said the incident occurred when Abbas, son of Ashiq Ali from Uttar Pradesh, was playing near the balcony. Earlier, Abbas’ mother had noticed him playing near the balcony and brought him in twice and gave him a doll. Assuming that he would be engrossed with the doll, she went back to the kitchen.A short while later, she was told by neighbours that the boy had fallen down.
“We heard a loud thud and when we rushed out we saw the boy in a pool of blood,” said Sultana, a neighbour.
Ashiq Ali, a carpenter, was informed and he rushed home. The boy was first taken to a private hospital in Chetpet where someone came forward to pay the bill, police said. Abbas was later shifted to the Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital where he died. The body was handed over to his parents after a postmortem. The Otteri police registered a case under CrPC Section 174.
“The boy apparently tried to peep out through the railing and then tried to climb up when he slipped and fell,” said an investigating officer. The boy hit the railing of the adjacent balcony before falling to the ground, the officer said.
Inquiries revealed that Abbas, who is the youngest child of the couple, was pampered. He was just learning to walk and was very active. He was very fond of pets which made him peep through the grille. Ashiq Ali, who came to the city about 10 years ago, and his wife have a five-year-old son and a four-year-old daughter.