A 10-year-old girl named Manya was found dead in the swimming pool of a residential apartment complex in Bengaluru’s Varthur on the night of December 28. Manya, who had been playing outside, was discovered motionless in the pool around 8 pm on Thursday. She lived with her family at Prestige Lakeside Habitat, an upscale apartment complex in Bengaluru, situated off the Varthur-Gunjur road.
Initially assumed to be a drowning incident, Manya's father, Rakesh Damerla alleged that her death was caused by electrocution. According to Rakesh, "I wasn’t there at the time of the incident. But some people said that she was electrocuted as she was experiencing seizures. A few people tried to remove her, but they couldn’t.”
Residents have voiced concerns, alleging that multiple complaints about electric shocks on the premises had been raised since May. Preeti Kumari, a resident, expressed her frustration on social media, blaming Prestige Property Management and Services (PPMS), the entity overseeing the apartment complex. She alleged, "My husband had highlighted the same when my 15-month-old daughter had got a shock while playing in the kids' area! But there was no action from the PPMS. It's unfortunate a kid lost her life due to such gross negligence."
According to the police, Manya was playing near the swimming pool at around 7:30 pm on Thursday when she may have accidentally fallen into the pool and succumbed to drowning. She was taken to a private hospital nearby where the doctors declared her dead.
Varthur police have registered a case of unnatural death. Deputy Commissioner of Police for Whitefield Shivakumar Gunare said that the police are currently awaiting the post-mortem report to determine the cause of the girl's demise. He added, "We have also requested reports from an electrical engineer and a histopathology report to thoroughly investigate and understand the factors contributing to the girl's death."