A four-year-old boy was burnt alive in front of his father after a stationary car he was sitting in suddenly caught fire in Madhya Pradesh's Indore district on Saturday..
The incident occurred in the Simrol police station area, around 22 km from the district headquarters, in the morning hours, an official said.
"The child, Chirag, was sitting inside the parked car. His father, Sanjay Badhiya, had left the engine on and was standing outside supervising work on his other vehicle fitted with a sound system," Simrol police house officer (SHO) Kuldip Khatri told PTI.
The blaze completely engulfed the car within minutes, and according to preliminary information, a short circuit is being considered the reason behind the blaze, officials have said.
Although locals attempted to douse the flames, the flames spread rapidly and could not be controlled, he said.
"By the time the fire brigade and police teams reached the scene, the child had succumbed to burns. A case has been registered, and a probe is underway to ascertain the cause of the fire," Badhiya said.