Fault in geyser led to shooter’s death in OYO hotel room, suspect cops

Police ruled out any foul play as the bathroom where the teenager, Priyanshu Kumar, died was locked from inside. The hotel staff broke open the door after his roommate raised an alarm upon hearing his screams.

Four days after a 15-year-old national-level shooter died at the bathroom of an OYO hotel in south Delhi’s Pul Prahladpur, investigators suspect a fault in the geyser caused electricity to flow in the pipeline and taps because of which the teenager got electrocuted.

A 15-year-old national-level shooter died inside the bathroom of an OYO hotel in south Delhi’s Pul Prahladpur. (HT Photo)

Police ruled out any foul play as the bathroom where the teenager, Priyanshu Kumar, died was locked from inside. The hotel staff broke open the door after his roommate raised an alarm upon hearing his screams.

Police said there was some water in the geyser and it was not empty.

Kumar’s preliminary autopsy report revealed he died of electrocution but the police did not want to confirm or deny the possibility until they received the final report.

On Tuesday, a team of electrical experts from the Delhi government led by an inspector went to the spot to check the taps and the geyser, deputy commissioner of police (southeast) Chinmoy Biswal said.

“Electric current was still passing in the taps from the geyser when the experts inspected the bathroom. The geyser had a small amount of water in it. The hotel staff said the geyser, of a popular brand, was recently installed,” an investigator said.

Asked if there was any problem with the water supply, the investigators said, “There is a possibility water supply was disrupted when the teenager switched on the geyser. Water in lesser quantity may have caused a short-circuit in the geyser. And as water supply resumed and flowed into the geyser, current may have started flowing into the taps. The teenager may have been electrocuted as he opened the tap or shower for bath.”

DCP Biswal said reports from forensic and electrical experts will help them establish the cause of death and fix responsibility. “We asked four senior officials of OYO to join the probe. Two have been questioned. A case of death by negligence has been registered. Whosoever is at fault will be arrested,” Biswal said. The hotel has been sealed.

The OYO spokesperson said his company was cooperating with police and taking measures to ensure such incidents were not repeated.

“We are going to initiate electrical audits to identify the root cause of the incident and ensure we take all possible steps to ensure the safety of our guests and employees across all properties under OYO. We are committing to install SOS Safety Switch Buttons in all rooms to be able to provide immediate 24×7 support and emergency assistance,” said an OYO spokesperson.