Toddler dies after fall from Goregaon bldg; family alleges she was pushed

The incident occurred around 9.30pm at Shiv Shakti Prakalp No. 1, Goregaon East. The victim, Ariba Shakir Khan, was playing outside her family’s flat on the sixth floor when she suddenly went missing

MUMBAI: An 18-month-old girl died after falling from the sixth floor of a MHADA building in Goregaon East on Wednesday night, after she went missing while playing outside her home. Her family suspects that a 12-year-old neighbour pushed her over the railing. The Dindoshi police have registered an accidental death report (ADR) and are investigating the incident.

Toddler dies after fall from Goregaon bldg; family alleges she was pushed

The incident occurred around 9.30pm at Shiv Shakti Prakalp No. 1, Goregaon East. The victim, Ariba Shakir Khan, was playing outside her family’s flat on the sixth floor when she suddenly went missing. Her mother, who was inside the house, asked Ariba’s elder brother to look for her.

The boy peered over the railing and saw his younger sister lying on the ground floor, bleeding profusely. He rushed downstairs and screamed for help. Residents then took the toddler to a nearby hospital, where doctors declared her dead before admission. The hospital subsequently alerted the police.

The police conducted a panchnama and sent the body for a post-mortem examination. They are investigating the sequence of events leading to the child’s death, police said.

Ariba’s aunt, Gulnar Sayyed, said the family suspected foul play because the railing was too high for a toddler to climb over. The family had moved into flat No. 602 of the building only 15 days earlier and had not yet got to know their neighbours, she said.

“When we checked the CCTV footage of the floor, we saw the neighbor’s daughter playing in the same area as the child,” Sayyed said, alleging that the 12-year-old had pushed Ariba over the railing.

“We have requested the police to investigate the involvement of the 12-year-old girl,” she added. The allegation remains unverified, and the police are investigating the child’s death.