Around 15 days after a 26-year-old teacher died in an elevator mishap at a Malad school, the police have registered a case of causing death by negligence against the lift maintenance agency for failing to maintain the school elevator.
According to the Malad police, the wires of the lift had gone through wear and tear due to which the system of the lift did not wait for the door to be closed and started moving upwards even though the door sensors were working.
"The owner of the Thane-based Classic Elevators has been booked under section 304 (A) (causing death by negligence) of the Indian Penal Code after an inspection report of the lift. However we are yet to make an arrest in the case," said senior police inspector, Ravindra Adane, Malad police station.
According to the report, the wires of the lift had gone through wear and tear due to which the lift malfunctioned. And the contract of the elevator company stated that they would maintain the lifts every 30 days.
"The last maintenance according to the company records was done in June 2022," added the senior inspector.
The police are also investigating if the school management was responsible for not stressing the maintenance of the lift.
On September 16 when the accident took place, the victim, Jenel Fernandes, who worked as a teacher at St Mary’s English School in Malad West, was on the sixth floor of the school, around 1 pm, and was headed to the staff room on the second floor. The lift which she got into, malfunctioned due to the wear and tear of the wires, and before the door could close, it started moving upwards on the seventh floor dragging the victim upwards.
According to the police she was severely injured and the staff rushed her to the hospital but the doctors declared her dead before admission.
