Thane: 4-year-old falls to death in lift shaft

A four-year-old boy from Badlapur fell into the lift duct of the under-construction building where his father was working, and was later declared dead due to drowning. The contractor has been arrested for negligence.

The deceased four-year-old's mother holds up his picture. His parents had found his body floating in the water-logged lift duct. Pic/Navneet Barhate

The deceased boy was identified as Pravin Shinde, who used to live in a hut at the Arunoday building compound with his father Fakira Shinde (30). The father was a labourer at the under-construction building.

The incident took place between 10 am and 12:30 pm on Friday, when the boy was playing. "The lift duct of the under-construction building was kept open, with no barricades or safety measures. The boy fell into the shaft, which was full of water. The boy had drowned before he could be rescued," said a police officer.

"The victim's parents started searching for him and found him floating in the water in the duct. He was then shifted to a private hospital in Badlapur, where he was declared dead due to drowning," said PD Bhomdave, API, Badlapur east police station.

The police initially registered an accidental death case, but later filed a case of negligence against the contractor. The father complained to the police that he had warned the contractor about several kids playing there, but he didn't place any safety barricades around the lift duct. A case was registered at the Badlapur east police station under Section 304 A (causing death by negligence) of the Indian Penal Code.

"A case has been registered against Alpesh Patel, the contractor of the under-construction building. The contractor didn't follow the safety norms, which resulted in the death of the minor," said Bhomdave. Patel was arrested on Tuesday and was produced in a local court, where he was given magisterial custody.