Kolkata, Jun 27 (IANS): In a shocking incident, a couple visiting West Bengal's Digha beach left their child locked inside the car to take a dip in the sea, police said on Thursday.

"The locals raised an alarm when they saw the child locked inside the car. He was crying for help and our officers rescued him by breaking the glass on Wednesday. The five-year-old boy was almost suffocated but felt fine after drinking some water," a police official said.

The official said that when the parents - Salim and Najma Bibi, residents of South 24 Parganas district's Sonarpur - came back to the car, they had to be rescued from the angry locals. They were then taken to the police station.

The parents told the police that they couldn't take the child for a dip as he was not keeping well so they left him in the driver's care. When they were away for long, the child started crying. The driver then locked the car with the child in it and went looking for the couple.