A 77-year-old man met a tragic end after he plunged down an empty lift shaft, where his body lay undiscovered for 10 days in a housing society in Bhopal, police said on Tuesday.
While the accident occurred on January 6 at Chinar Dream City Society in the Misrod area, the foul smell that emanated over the days led to the discovery of the body on January 16, an official said.
He said that on the day of the incident, the victim, Pritam Giri, left his home in the afternoon and never returned.
His son reported him missing at the Misrod police station the next day.
Talking to PTI Videos, Additional Deputy Commissioner of Police (Zone 2, Bhopal), Gautam Solanki, said, "He (Giri) stepped out of his house and was waiting for the lift door to open. The moment it opened, the man entered without noticing that the platform of the lift car was missing, and he fell down the shaft and died." A case has been registered, and the housing society's maintenance team and other responsible individuals are being questioned, he said.
The septuagenarian's family and residents have accused the maintenance team of negligence, alleging that the lift and other facilities had not been maintained well.
"My father left for Mandideep on January 6 and went missing. The elevator also broke down that same day. We reported it to the police and informed the society's maintenance team, but no one took it seriously," said Dharmendra Giri, the man's son.
He said his father's life could have been saved if they had conducted a timely search.
Talking to PTI Videos, Dharmendra alleged that the society's third-floor CCTV cameras have been out of order for years, and the maintenance team had ignored their complaints about the poor condition of the lift.
Ratnesh Vishwakarma, a neighbour, said that the duct of the lift was inspected only after the foul smell started spreading on the premises and the body was found.
"The elevator is constantly out of order, and no notice is posted. This is a sad case of negligence," he said.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
