10-year-old girl dies after falling into swimming pool of posh residential complex in Bengaluru, residents blame electrocution

Police in Bengaluru’s Varthur, where the incident took place, registered a case of unnatural death.

According to police, Manya was playing near the swimming pool around 7.30 pm on Thursday when she fell into the pool and drowned. Some residents said she was electrocuted in the pool. She was taken to a private hospital where doctors declared her dead.

Her father, Rajesh, said he got to know about the incident around 8 pm. “Though I was not at the spot, witnesses informed me that my daughter was playing as usual with her friends… They said she was electrocuted as there were seizures. Some people tried to save her using wooden sticks, and someone later switched off the power supply,” he said.

He urged authorities to come out with the truth and help the family get justice. “My daughter was a bright child and we never thought this kind of incident would happen to her… She will never return, but I see a lot of parents anxious after the incident. I am speaking on behalf of all those parents and their children… Till now, no action has been initiated nor has anybody been held responsible,” Rajesh said.

After the incident, anxious parents kept their children indoors. According to residents, a day before the incident, some children who were playing near the pool had complained about feeling an electric shock when they stepped on water. A security guard was informed about it, the source said, but the issue was not looked into further.

A resident of the apartment complex, Charulatha, told The Indian Express some children had also told their parents about the electric shock, but people didn’t take it seriously.

Charulatha, whose daughter was also playing with Manya, said, “My daughter told me they were playing cops and robbers. Then Manya ran into the shallow part (of the pool)… She fell there, and initially the kids thought she was acting and tried to joke, but as they realised that her body was shaking, they screamed for help. Some people tried to rescue her using wooden sticks, and until someone switched off the MCB, no one entered the water.”

Another resident, Preeti Kumari, blamed the Prestige Property Management and Services (PPMS), which manages the apartment complex. “Multiple residents had complained about electric shocks on campus at least since May, and half-hearted fixes were done. The PPMS staff know nothing about electrical wirings nor about how to respond in such situations,” she alleged.

“A life could have been saved had the PPMS been proactive enough in electrical maintenance and upkeep. My husband had highlighted the same when my 15-month-old daughter had got a shock while playing in the kids area, but there was no action from the PPMS. It is unfortunate a kid lost her life due to such gross negligence,” she said.

Officials of the apartment complex’s management were not available for comment.

Shivakumar Gunare, Deputy Commissioner of Police, Whitefield, said police were awaiting the post-mortem report to ascertain the exact reason behind the girl’s death. “We have also sought a report by an electrical engineer and a histopathology report to ascertain what caused the death of the girl,” he said.

A police officer said that residents told them Manya might have been electrocuted due to a wire that was dangling from a light pole near the pool. “Residents suspect that when the girl went to pick a ball from the pool, she might have suffered electrocution and fallen into the water. There were no burn injuries on her body, but we are not ruling out the allegations made by the residents,” the officer said.

Prestige Lakeside Habitat apartment complex was developed in 102 acres of land near Varthur lake. A 2BHK apartment in this complex costs around Rs 1.50 crore to Rs 2 crore.

In a statement, Prestige group said, “We deeply regret the tragic incident at Prestige Lakeside Habitat. Our heartfelt condolences go out to the family affected by this devastating loss. Safety is our utmost priority, and we are actively cooperating with authorities to conduct a thorough investigation to prevent such incidents in the future. We are committed to implementing any necessary measures to prevent such incidents in the future.”

In November last year, a class 12 student, Roshan Rasheed, had died during a swimming competition at National Public School, Agara, in Bengaluru. He had been electrocuted when he came in contact with a diving board that was lit up and had wires hanging from it.