5-yr-old dies after fall from 22nd-floor balcony in Gururgam high-rise

Caretaker was locked out by the flat’s auto-lock system, prompting panic as the boy tried seeking help; police say he climbed a clothes stand before falling.

A five-year-old boy fell to his death from the 22nd-floor balcony of his home in a high-rise in Gurugram’s Sector 62, police said on Sunday. The child, who was accidentally locked inside the apartment, is believed to have climbed onto the balcony railing in an attempt to seek help from neighbours.

Investigators say the boy was frightened and tried to draw attention before falling; foul play has been ruled out and an inquiry under BNSS Section 194 is on. (HT Photo)

The incident occurred at Pioneer Presidia between 5.30pm and 5.50pm on Saturday, shortly after the boy returned from the park with his caretaker. Police said the child ran ahead, entered the house and slammed the door, activating the flat’s “auto-lock” mechanism and shutting the caretaker out.

The boy’s father is a builder and his mother a doctor, both of whom were at work at the time. Police said the five-year-old was a special needs child and was alone inside the flat when the door locked.

“The boy and the caretaker were returning from the park in the elevator. He rushed into the house and slammed the door shut. The digital lock could be opened only with the passcode, which only the parents knew,” said an investigating officer aware of the case details.

According to police, the parents told them they generally kept the door open and shut it only after they returned home from work. On Saturday, too, the door had been left open when the caretaker took the child to the park.

Panicked, the caretaker repeatedly called out to the child, hoping he might open the door from inside. When that failed, she alerted his parents and the building’s security staff. Police said the boy – apparently frightened by the ordeal – then moved towards the balcony, likely in distress and trying to draw someone’s attention.

He is believed to have climbed onto a clothes’ stand placed in the balcony and leaned over the glass railing, losing his balance and falling, said Sandeep Turan, public relations officer, Gurugram Police.

After passersby spotted him, he was rushed to a private hospital on Golf Course Road where doctors declared him dead, Turan said.

“The entire incident unfolded within 10-15 minutes and no one could begin the rescue work to force open the main entrance. The parents were also several kilometres away at that time,” he said.

Turan said that the boy’s father has ruled out any foul play and has given a statement at the Sector 65 police station that his son died accidentally after getting locked in the apartment alone.

The body was handed over to the family after an autopsy on Sunday and an inquiry under Section 194 of Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita was being carried out.