Mumbai: A 12-year-old boy, a student of Bombay Scottish School, died after falling from a 22-storey high-rise building in the Sewri area on Saturday. Based on the preliminary statement of the boy’s parents, who do not suspect any foul play, the RAK Marg police has registered an accidental death report (ADR) and are investigating to find out the floor from which the boy fell to his death, said a police officer.
According to the police, the deceased was a student of class 7 and lived with his family, including his father, mother and elder brother, on the 21st floor of Rushabh Tower, Zakaria Bunder Cross Road, Sewri.
The incident occurred around 6:15 on Saturday when RAK patrol van number one received a call from the main police control room that a boy had fallen from a 22-storey building. A police team reached the spot soon thereafter and the boy was immediately rushed to the KEM Hospital where he was declared dead before admission, said deputy commissioner of police Sanjay Patil.
The security supervisor Abhay Singh of the building said, “After hearing a loud thud I rushed to the building and saw a boy lying in a pool of blood. I called other security guards in the building. The noise was so loud that even people from the first and second floors of the building came running down to check.”
“We informed his mother who was present at the house. The boy’s father was on his way to Pune for some official work and after hearing about the incident he returned. The elder brother had also gone out and was not at home”, said a security guard.
“The building’s terrace was locked and all windows in the building have grills so there is no chance that the boy could have fallen from any flat. However, there are two refuge areas on the 9th and 18th floor of the building, where windows have four feet walls with one-and-half feet grills so a person could not lose balance if he or she is standing unless the person climbs,” said Singh.
“I have been working here for two years and I knew the boy. He used to play in the building. I get shivers every time I think about him lying in a pool of blood,” said security guard Motilal.
The police have recorded the preliminary statement of the mother. “The family is in shock hence will re-record their statement after two days. We will inquire with the neighbours and the children if anyone has seen anything. We will investigate the matter from all possible angles,” said a police officer.
A student of the Bombay Scottish School, the boy was touted as a lively and chatty child by his classmates. “He was always been very active, be it in academics or extracurricular activities. He was always teachers’ favourite and the news has come as a shock to us,” said a parent of a student from the same batch as the deceased.
Notably, the school students had collectively raised ₹51 lakh funds to distribute among 150 drivers, cleaners and women attendants during the lockdown. The deceased boy had baked and sold 200 cupcakes with lemonade to collect money. The boy had collected ₹15,000 by selling cupcakes and many even gave him money without taking his cakes.
– With inputs from Shreya Bhandary