An FIR was registered against eight people, including four representatives of the apartment owners’ association (AOA), in connection with the death of an elderly woman in a high-rise society in Noida on Thursday evening, reported The Indian Express.
The deceased identified as 72-year-old Sushila Devi, a resident of Paras Tierea Society in Noida’s Sector 137, had taken the lift in Tower 24 to go from her residence on the eighth floor to the second floor, when the lift allegedly malfunctioned and fell, leading to her death.
According to the FIR filed by her son Diwesh Kumar, Devi was supposed to take the elevator from the eighth floor to the second, where her husband was waiting for her. Due to an alleged malfunction, the lift shot up to the 25th floor, its chain and wire snapping in the process.
The woman, who was trapped in the lift for more than half an hour, was pulled out through the exhaust fan hole, which two staff members, including a lift man, entered in a bid to rescue her, it stated.
She was found unconscious and severely injured, and when she was taken to the hospital she was pronounced dead.
The FIR read, “My mother left our flat around 4.15 pm…When my father, Devi Dayal Prasad, reached the second floor after 15 minutes, he did not find her… he went to the ground floor and spoke to the guards, who told him they had not seen her anywhere… my wife and I went to the guards again and asked them to show the camera (CCTV). They expressed their inability to show the footage.”
He said in the FIR that they searched for Devi in various places like the commercial area, park area, basements 1 and 2 but could not find her. “I again asked the guard to check the lift, but he could not help… Then I asked the lift man to open the lobby lift. He confirmed that the lift is on the 25th floor. Under normal circumstances, the lift should stop at the 24th floor… We took the stairs and went up to the 25th floor.”
The lift man had entered after removing the exhaust fan, and Devi was found there lying in an unconscious state.
In his complaint, Kumar further said, as quoted by Hindustan Times, “On checking the basement, we found the lift chain broken and upon going upstairs to the lift control room, we found the lift cable broken as well. My mother’s death is due to the criminal negligence of eight people and police should take strict action against those who are found guilty.”
Gautam Budh Nagar police on Friday registered a case against eight people, including facility management company, lift manufacturer company, and office bearers of AOA.
A case under charges of negligent conduct with respect to machinery and causing death by negligence has been registered against the directors and facility managers of the management company, lift manufacturer ThyssenKrupp, and the president, vice-president, general secretary, and treasurer of Paras Tierea Apartment Owners’ Association (PTAOA) at Sector 142 police station.
Rajeev Dixit, additional deputy commissioner of police, Central Noida said that the woman’s body was handed over to the family at around 3 PM on Friday after post-mortem examination, reported Hindustan Times.
He added that probe in the case is underway, and no arrests were made yet.
Meanwhile, the residents of the society met Noida Authority CEO Lokesh M apprising him about the unfortunate incident, and demanded a competent official to take over the affairs of the society and dissolve the society’s AOA.
