Killer pits: Girl, 14, tries to save drowning cousin in UP; both die

BAREILLY: Two teenagers -- Mahreen (14) and her cousin Abdul Qadir (12) -- drowned in a large pit left open by a brick kiln owner at a village under Hazratnagar Gadhi police limits in Sambhal.
Mahreen, her brother Arbaaz, 5, and cousin Abdul had gone to give food to their parents working in a farm on Friday evening when Abdul decided to take bath in a large pit filled with rainwater.
Abdul got stuck in the muddy surface and started drowning. Seeing her cousin sinking, Mahreen jumped into the pit to save him but she drowned as well.
Police said the autopsy was conducted on Saturday and the families were assured compensation by SDM Vinay Kumar Mishra. Abdul was a student of class 4 while Mahreen used to study in class 7.
SDM Mishra told TOI: "The death of two children is tragic. We'll ensure the families get a compensation of Rs 4 lakh each under disaster relief fund. The pit was dug after the revenue department's nod. We inspected the pit and it was found that it was 2.5 feet deep which comes within the permissible limit."
On March 16, a 4-yr-old boy, Mohd Ahad, drowned in a deep pit filled with water at a brick kiln in Moradabad district. Notably, 26 kids were reported dead in 'killer' pits in Bareilly zone, since Jan 2023, most of them reported from Moradabad, Sambhal and Rampur.
Directions were given to all SHOs to register an FIR against brick kiln owners in case of such deaths if the "pits are more than 4 feet deep". More than 14 FIRs were also registered, but no strict action was ever taken. In most cases, the case was closed through 'out of court' settlement, said a senior cop.