Soon-to-be married, man at quarantine ward falls to death in Tamil Nadu

CHENNAI: A man at a quarantine ward in a college campus died after he slipped and fell into a 12-feet deep under-construction elevator on the premises at Sriperumbudur early on Friday. Police suspect it to be an accident.
Police identified the man as Balaji, 32, a resident Karaikal, who had returned from Kuwait through a ‘Vande Bharat’ flight to attend his marriage that was scheduled in September. Police said Balaji reached Chennai on August 25. As per routine, corporation and the revenue officials examined all air passengers at the airport and conducted Covid tests. The officials advised all passengers to stay in quarantine though they didn’t have any symptoms of the coronavirus infection.
As Balaji opted to stay at the government allotted quarantine facility, officials took him to a private college at Thandalam near Sriperumbudur, which has been modified as a quarantine ward. Balaji was asked to stay along with four others on the first floor of the building.
On Friday, around 2.30am, Balaji stepped out of his room and ran towards the staircase at the end of the corridor. Police personnel and the revenue officials at the college premises heard a noise and they rushed to find him lying unconscious in the pool of blood inside the under-construction lift shaft.
Police and the fire and rescue services personnel pulled out the man and took him to the government hospital at Sriperumbudur, where doctors declared him brought dead.
Police personnel browsed through the CCTV camera footage at the college and found that Balaji was running out of the room holding his mobile phone in one hand while talking to someone, when he mistakenly ran into the open lift shaft and fell.
The Sriperumbudur police have registered a case under Section 174 (unnatural death) of CrPC and further investigations are on.