Thiruvananthapuram: A toddler fell off a moving jeep in Idukki, Kerala, on Sunday night and escaped by trying to crawl to a ticket counter several metres away. Parents of the baby — a one-year-old girl — who were in the jeep had fallen asleep during their trip from Palani, Tamil Nadu, and did not realise the mishap until they were another 45 kilometres away. Luckily, the Forest Department had been alert and saved the baby, taking her to a hospital for first aid, before the worried parents came back for the child. An employee at the check-post saw something crawling, and went nearby to check. This was when the employee that realised it was a baby and immediately alerted higher officials in the Forest Department including the Munnar Wildlife Warden.
CCTV footage from the Rajamala check-post inside a reserve forest in Idukki district, where the incident happened, shows the baby crawling over to a metal railing. The video shows the baby crawling, then pausing to take rest, before resuming her crawl. She tries to climb over the railing, but is unable to manoeuvre over it. She then crawls around the railing — perhaps towards the light in the check post. It takes her nearly 20 minutes to reach the middle of the road. “It was around 10 pm when the baby crawled over to the ticket counter at Rajamala check-post in Munnar,” says R. Lekshmi, Munnar Wildlife Warden. “When I went over, there were minor injuries on her head and forehead and blood on her nose. We called the Police and the baby was taken to the general hospital for first aid,” she adds. “She also had a chain and bangles on her. The baby must have crawled to the ticket counter, seeing the light,” Lekshmi adds.
