CHENNAI: An 11-month-old baby reportedly ventured out of the house by the middle of the night and drowned in a tub filled with water kept outside in Selaiyur on Thursday, as the child’s parents had kept the main door open for more ventilation to escape harsh summer.

According to police, Vishvanathan and Uma Devi of Mahalakshmi Nagar in Selaiyur had kept their main door open and slept in the living room. At midnight, the couple woke up and noticed that their 11-month-old daughter Archana, sleeping next to them, was missing.

After a hectic search, they found the baby drowned inside a tub filled with water outside the house.

The couple rushed her to a private hospital in the locality but the doctors declared the baby as brought dead. The Selaiyur police who visited the spot sent the body for post-mortem to the Chromepet GH. Police said that the baby might have walked out while the parents were asleep.

The case has been registered and further investigation is on.