Australia: No leads yet in Indian toddler's death

Grieving parents of a three-year-old Indian boy, who died under mysterious circumstances, saw his body at a Melbourne morgue on for the first time, even as Australian investigators are said to be leaning away from the theory that the toddler had fallen victim to a random attack.

Harpreet Kaur Channa and her husband Harjit Singh Channa were taken to the Coroner's Court at 11 am (local time) to see the body of their child Gurshan, who was found dead on the side of a road in Melbourne's northern suburbs on Thursday, Federation of Indian Association of Victoria (FIAV) President, Vasan Srinivas, told PTI.

The couple, who were interrogated by the Victorian police for five hours in connection with the death of the child, were accompanied by Indian consulate officials to the morgue.

They spent an hour with the body of their child, local media reports said.

The couple were taken to the Coroner's Court from a relative's home in the Melbourne suburb of Thomastown.

Meanwhile, Herald Sun newspaper reported that "investigators are believed to be leaning away from the theory that Gurshan had fallen victim to a random attack".

"One possibility is that he died of natural causes and someone panicked and disposed of his body," the report said.

"There was no evidence of signs of violence on Gurshan's body, which was found, fully clothed in blue jeans and a grey top, six hours after he disappeared, about 20km away, at Oaklands Junction, near Melbourne Airport," the paper reported.

It also said that police hope further testing, including toxicology, can provide some answers. Detectives examined suggestions that Gurshan disappeared after he tried "to follow his" father to the local library, the report said.

Vasan said that FIAV, along with Indian authorities here, has offered to financially support the family to arrange for the cremation.

"FIAV has extended all financial help to the family to arrange for cremation and also any other possible help needed this time, including refund of the fee of the cookery course which toddler's mother was pursuing here," he said.

The toddler's body was found by a council worker on the side of a road in Melbourne's northern suburbs six hours after he disappeared from the family home on Thursday.

Police said the body was found fully clothed in blue jeans and a grey top, but could not say how he died.

Gurshan was in Australia on a holiday with his family and was due to return to India later this week. The toddler's mother rang police after he had been missing for 45 minutes, prompting a massive search involving more than 15 police units, the dog squad and air wing. The body was found 30 kms away from the boy's home.