6-yr-old electrocuted, two injured in Vakola

A six-year-old girl was electrocuted and two of her friends were injured after coming in contact with a live wire while playing in Mumbai. The incident occurred when the girl was playing with her friends near a metal frame close to a street light. The Vakola police have registered a case against unknown persons and investigations are ongoing. Locals have blamed Adani Electricity Mumbai Ltd and the builder responsible for the shifting of the electric box and street light, while an Adani Electricity official has blamed possible electricity theft.

Mumbai: A six-year-old girl was electrocuted and two of her friends were injured after they came in contact with a live wire while playing outside their house in Chaitanya Nagar of Vakola on Friday.

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The incident happened when the deceased, Teharin Parvin Mohammed Iftekhar, was playing with her friends—Vaishnavi Malve, 9, and Tanish Shinde, 5.

Locals said the three were playing around a metal frame near a street light when an open wire came in contact with the metal object and the girl was electrocuted. The others were injured in the incident.

According to the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), all three were rushed to VN Desai Hospital, where Teharin was declared brought dead, while the other two are undergoing treatment.

The Vakola police registered a case under section 304 (A) (culpable homicide) of the Indian Penal against unknown persons. Senior police inspector Prakash Khandekar, said, “The death of the child was caused by someone’s negligence. Further investigation is underway.”

Meanwhile, locals said that the wires were open due to shifting of the electric box and street lights on the road. Furious residents said that immediately after the incident, Adani Electricity Mumbai Ltd officials came, cut off the open wire, put up tapes to cover it and left the spot.

Nilofer Nagani, a local leader, said, “This is a case of negligence which led to the death of the child and injuries to two others. The family of the deceased girl had recently shifted here. Not just Adani Electricity officials but also the builder because of whom the box had to be shifted are to be blamed.”

Yuvraj Shinde, another resident said, “The box of the street light was also open and even the newly-laid wires were not covered. It is only after the accident that they were covered. If these cables are not fixed properly, it will lead to further accidents during monsoons. We hope this is taken seriously.”

On the other hand, an Adani Electricity official blamed the incident on possible electricity theft and said, “We deeply regret the tragic incident caused by suspected tampering of street light pole cabling by miscreants, resulting in a fatal electrocution. Our team is fully cooperating with the police and investigating the issue.”

(With inputs from Payal Gwalani)