Chennai: In a very sad incident, a six-month-old infant, born to an Indian software couple based in Melbourne, Australia, was found dead on landing at the airport in Chennai in the small hours of Thursday, police said.
According to the airport police, the couple Shakthi Murugan (32) and Deepa (29) from Vengaivasal in Selaiyur and Deepa’s mother Britto Queen were travelling from Melbourne to Chennai to spend their vacation along with baby Hrithik, via Kuala Lumpur in an Air Asia flight when the tragedy occurred.
On landing at the Chennai International Airport at 12.50 a.m. they completed the immigration formalities while Deepa was holding the infant. When they entered the customs area after immigration clearance, Deepa noticed that the toddler was unconscious and showed no signs of movement.
The couple tried to wake the child up thinking he was still asleep, however, his body had become cold by then. The shocked parents immediately alerted airport officials who rushed Hrithik to a private clinic within the international terminal, where doctors declared the infant had died two hours ago. The inconsolably weeping parents said the child was healthy and had been playing on the flight.
The airport police secured the body, registered a case, and sent it to the Chromepet government hospital to ascertain the cause of death. Police said the toddler could have died due to travel weariness and breathing difficulty and were waiting for the autopsy report to know the actual reason. Investigations are underway.
