Police probing death of girl at Bengaluru apartment complex await reports to ascertain cause

 The police have also scanned through CCTV footage and recorded statements of parents and witnesses as well as other residents of the apartment as part of the investigation

PTI, Bengaluru, 30.12.23 : Police on Saturday said they have gathered CCTV footage and recorded statements of the witnesses in connection with the death of a nine-year-old girl and are waiting for post-mortem and technical reports to ascertain the exact cause of her demise amid speculation of electrocution.

Two days ago, Manya Damerla was found dead under mysterious circumstances in the swimming pool of Prestige Lakeside Habitat apartment complex off Varthur-Gunjur Road in Bengaluru's tech corridor where she lived with her parents.

Residents of the apartment alleged that the girl accidentally fell into the swimming pool after coming into contact with a live wire dangling from a pole near the pool.

"The post-mortem was conducted and we are awaiting the report. Once we receive reports from the Forensic department and the electrical engineer, we would be able to ascertain the exact cause of death-whether it was drowning or electrocution. There were no visible injuries marks on the body, but since there are allegations of an electric shock, it's important that we verify these claims from all angles," a senior police officer said.

"We are also awaiting the histopathology report which will help us ascertain if there was electrocution. Because in case, there is electrocution, there would be some histopathological changes which could be used as supporting evidence in giving the cause of death in such cases," he said.

The police have also scanned through CCTV footage and recorded statements of parents and witnesses as well as other residents of the apartment as part of the investigation.

Meanwhile, following the incident, the Prestige group issued a statement assuring they were actively cooperating with the authorities to conduct a thorough investigation to prevent such incidents in future.

"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 the 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," it said.

In his complaint, the victim's father Rajesh Kumar Damerla, an entrepreneur-cum-founding chief executive officer of a digital content-creation platform, said he suspected that his daughter drowned after she accidentally fell into the swimming pool around 7.30 pm on Thursday, police said.

The girl was rushed to a nearby hospital where she was declared brought dead, he said.

After the post-mortem, the body was handed over to the victim's parents, who travelled to their native place in Vijayawada, Andhra Pradesh, to conduct the final rites.

Manya, who has been remembered by the residents as a very lively and enthusiastic girl, was the only child of her parents. The incident also led to outrage among residents who staged a protest along with the victim's parents and demanded strict action against those responsible.

Charulatha, who has been staying as a tenant at the apartment for the last over two years, said her 10-year-old daughter was also playing with Manya when the incident happened.

"My daughter, Manya along with some other children were playing cops and robbers near the swimming pool area. Manya happened to run into the shallow part of the pool and fell inside the pool. Initially, these children thought she was acting but then they saw her body was shaking...They screamed for help but fearing electric shock, no one entered the water until the MCB was switched off," she told PTI.

"Some people tried to rescue her using wooden sticks but the entire rescue process took a lot of time though there was a prompt response from the building association. However, some children had complained about electric shock to their parents just a day before the incident but the matter was not taken up seriously," she claimed.

Another resident, Preeti Kumari took to micro-blogging site 'X' and claimed several residents complained about electric shocks in the apartment premises since May but nothing was done to fix it. She claimed that even her 15-month-old daughter had received a shock while she was playing in the children's area.

Since the mishap, children have been kept indoors fearing any such untoward incident and the area near the swimming pool has been sealed as part of the probe.

MLA of Mahadevapura Assembly constituency, Manjula Aravind Limbavali, who visited the spot on Friday instructed BESCOM officials to take appropriate action against the culprits and ensure proper steps to prevent such incidents in future following allegations of death due to electrocution.

Taking to 'X', the MLA tweeted, "Visited Prestige Lake Side Habitat Apartment in Varthur Ward, Gunjur Village of Mahadevapura Assembly constituency, where a girl died Thursday night in the swimming pool of the apartment and obtained information from the local residents about the incident."

"Locals said that the accident happened due to an electric shock, so discussed with BESCOM officials and instructed them to take appropriate action against the culprits and ensure proper action to prevent such accidents in the future. At the same time, instructed the police officials to conduct a detailed investigation of the incident and provide justice to the girl's family," she further said.