A tragic incident occurred on Friday evening in Hyderabad's Khairatabad area, where a 57-year-old partially visually impaired woman lost her life and her 15-month-old grandson sustained injuries after falling into a lift shaft from the fifth floor of Bhavani Apartments in Anand Nagar Colony. The toddler was rushed to a private hospital and will remain under observation for 48 hours, according to police.
Details of the Incident
The deceased, identified as K Radha, was undergoing dialysis and had about 70% visual impairment. She resided with her daughter, son-in-law, and two grandchildren. Around 6:15 PM, Radha went to the terrace of the five-story building with her grandchildren to play. While returning, her granddaughter took the stairs, while Radha and her grandson used the lift.
Khairatabad inspector B Venkata Reddy stated that Radha might not have realized she did not press the lift button properly and thought the lift had arrived. CCTV footage shows she first attempted to open the landing door but failed. On her second attempt, she forcefully pulled the door open and stepped forward, unaware that the lift car had not arrived and was still on the first floor.
Rescue and Medical Response
As Radha fell into the shaft, she tried to grab the lift cables but could not. She landed above the lift car and became trapped horizontally between the cables and the shaft wall, with the child in her arms. Residents heard a loud thud and alerted Radha's daughter, who helped rescue the child. The toddler was taken to CARE Hospitals in Banjara Hills, while Radha was shifted to NIMS Hospital, where doctors declared her brought dead due to severe head injuries and fractures to both legs.
Police reached the scene after a 'Dial 100' call and retrieved Radha's body from the lift structure. The child's condition remains critical, and doctors will determine his status over the next 48 hours.
Investigation and Legal Action
Preliminary examination by a lift technician suggested a possible malfunction that allowed the landing door to open despite the lift car being on the first floor. However, officials stated that the exact cause is under verification, and no negligence case has been registered yet.
Radha, a native of Visakhapatnam, had recently moved to Khairatabad from Uppal due to her son-in-law's job. Her son-in-law, Kishan, filed a complaint, leading to a case under Section 194 (unnatural/suspicious death) of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS).
The body was taken to Gandhi mortuary for post-mortem and later handed over to the family.
