A seven-year-old girl was allegedly electrocuted near her house at Doddathattamangala in Devanahalli taluk on Saturday around 6.10 p.m.
The victim, Sharanya, and her sister Navyashree, 9, were walking to their uncle’s house when the incident occurred.
Family members and neighbours said they heard Navyashree screaming for help and rushed out to see her sister lying on the ground. They took Sharanya to hospital, where doctors declared her dead on arrival.
Previous incidents
This is the latest in a spate of incidents involving children who either suffered burns or were killed when they accidentally came in contact with a live wire. Three days ago, a 14-year-old boy suffered 50% burns when he came in proximity to a high tension wire at Mathikere, and last week an eight-month-old boy was allegedly electrocuted while playing in a shed at Kodihalli.
The police are yet to ascertain what exactly happened on Saturday evening, but suspect that Sharanya came in contact with a metal rod that was conducting electricity from a newly laid transformer in the area. “The transformer was installed only three months ago as part of the Niranthara Jyothi Project and provided power to all domestic households in the area,” said a police officer.
He added that the pipe the victim touched was one used by linemen, and should not have been conducting electricity. Sharanya had just finished upper kindergarten and was preparing to go to class 1. Her father Nagaraj is a security guard, and her mother a homemaker. The parents filed a complaint with the police who have taken up a case of accidental death due to criminal negligence.
A Bescom official said: “We have visited the spot after the incident, and investigations are on. We suspect it is case of electrocution, but we can only be sure once we get a post-mortem report.”