Mumbai: Siblings, 5 and 7, choke to death inside junk car

The deceased, Muskan Begum Shaikh, 5, and Sajid Shaikh, 7

Two siblings lost their lives after getting trapped in a scrapped car at CGS Colony in Antop Hill. According to the police, the deceased children - Sajid, 7, and Muskan Begum, 5 - lived in a hutment in the area and their father Mohabbat Shaikh is a mason by profession. The family and locals say they will demand the removal of the scrapped cars in the area to curb such instances as the vehicles have been abandoned there for a decade.

The matter came to light on April 24 after the children's parents approached the Antop Hill police station to register a missing complaint. "I approached the police station at around 8 pm on Wednesday. Sajid and Muskan went out to play around 2 pm and never returned. While searching the area near our residence, the children were found trapped in a scrapped car. The vehicle was near our residence but we could not hear any screams and assumed that the children would not go there as I had told them not to venture into the scrapped cars," Mohabbat said.

The abandoned car where the children's bodies were found

The police said the kids had entered the car to play and got trapped inside. "After the parents approached us, we checked CCTV footage of the area and ascertained that the children had not left the area. We found that there were scrapped cars near their residence and upon checking, found the bodies of the children in the back seat of a scrapped car. We rushed them to hospital but doctors declared them dead on arrival," said an officer from Antop Hill police station.

"Initially we thought the children might have gone to a gurdwara to have food, so we checked the gardens and then approached the police station to register a complaint. I never thought they would go into a car as I had warned them not to do so. We will soon decide whether to approach the police station to raise concerns about the scrapped cars," added the parents.

The shanty where the children lived. Pics/Sameer Markande

According to Mohabbat, the cars have been lying in the area for quite a long time. "Some private entities and mechanics just park the vehicles here and forget their existence. The cars must be removed soon to prevent such instances," he said. Meanwhile, the police traced the owner of the scrapped car and interrogated him. A case of kidnapping was initially registered which was changed to an accidental death report after the bodies were found.

2 pm
Time the children left home to play

5 yrs & 7 yrs
Ages of the siblings