10-year-old girl drowns in pool at Bengaluru apartment complex; electrocution suspected

A 10-year-old girl was found dead in a swimming pool in Bengaluru. The police are investigating the incident, considering various angles including electrocution. The residents of the apartment complex are demanding justice and the father wants the truth to be uncovered. The police have registered a case of unnatural death and are awaiting the post-mortem report.

A 10-year-old girl was found dead in a swimming pool of an apartment at the Varthur-Gunjur road in Bengaluru on Thursday evening, police said on Friday.

The local residents claim that it is a case of electrocution, the police said. (Representational Image)

The victim, identified as Manya Damerla, a class 4 student at a private school, lived in Prestige Lakeside Habitat apartment.

HT reached out to the society for a comment, but couldn’t get an immediate response.

According to the police, Manya was playing near the swimming pool around 7.30 pm on Thursday when she fell into it and drowned. The girl’s father, Rajesh Kumar Damerla, who is the founder-CEO of a digital content-creation platform, learned about the incident at around 8 pm. The girl was rushed to a private hospital where doctors declared her dead.

Police said the investigation is underway and various angles are being considered, including electrocution.

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

In response to the tragedy, residents of the apartment complex staged a protest, demanding justice for Manya. The girl’s father said the truth behind her death should be uncovered. “We want justice for my daughter. We want to know the truth behind her death. We want the police to probe the matter and find the real reason for her death,” he told the reporters.

Meanwhile, Varthur police have registered a case of unnatural death on the complaint of the girl’s father.

Shivakumar Gunare, deputy commissioner of police (DCP), Whitefield, stated that they are awaiting the post-mortem report to ascertain the exact reason behind the girl’s death.