A four-year-old boy who fell into an open drain while relieving himself in outer Delhi was found dead on Wednesday, nearly 22 hours after the incident. The rescuers recovered his body in two parts from the Nilothi Water Treatment Plant, about 6 km from the spot where he had fallen, the police said.The police said information about the incident was received at the Ranhola police station at around 3.21 pm on November 10. The child, a resident of Mohan Garden, had gone to Dass Garden Park with his mother. The boy fell into a sewer manhole running along the service road while moving towards the drain to answer nature’s call.Following the incident, teams from the police, fire brigade and the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) launched an extensive search operation.Tracing the sewer and drain network, rescuers eventually reached the Nilothi Water Treatment Plant in the Nihal Vihar area, where the child’s body was recovered in two parts on Wednesday afternoon.In a statement, the Delhi Jal Board (DJB) said the child’s remains were recovered from the treatment plant and sent to Sanjay Gandhi Memorial Hospital for a postmortem examination.“DNA profiling will be conducted to establish the identity of the deceased child. Further investigation is underway,” the DJB said.The boy’s parents and relatives remained at the site throughout the rescue operation, hoping he would be found alive. Earlier, the child’s father had told mediapersons that his son and another boy had gone to the park to play.The DJB said the cover of the sewer manhole was found damaged. According to the board, all manhole covers along the Interceptor Sewer Line are secured with nuts and bolts and cannot ordinarily be removed without appropriate tools.The DJB also said access to the stretch had already been prohibited following a previous unlawful incident in the area and that entry into the restricted zone required prior police authorisation. The police have registered a case of causing death by negligence and are investigating the matter.