Three members of a family, including two women were electrocuted to death in Kolkata’s Ekbalpore. The incident occurred while they were attempting to rescue a family member who had received an electric shock while hanging clothes out to dry on an iron wire in front of their house on Sunday, reports said.
Izhar Akhtar was electrocuted between 7 am and 7:30 am when hanging clothes on a wire suspended between a window grille and a wall pipe of a building opposite his house, police told The Telegraph.
Upon hearing his screams, Akhtar’s mother-in-law, Muntaha Begum, in her 60s, and his wife, Khairun Nessa, in her 40s, rushed to his aid. However, upon touching him, they too collapsed to the ground and lost consciousness.
The three were rushed to the SSKM Hospital where doctors pronounced the mother and daughter dead upon their arrival The man was admitted for treatment, but later succumbed to his injuries.
Police suspect power theft in the area as the cause of the incident. “Electrocution could be the outcome of illegal drawing of power,” on official told the publication.
Following the incident, officials from the Calcutta Electric Supply Corporation (CESC) Limited visited the accident site to examine the cable believed to be responsible for the tragic mishap, a India Today report stated.
While expressing deep regret over the unfortunate deaths, CESC dismissed the possibility of the incident being caused by a fault in their power line. “Since our network is underground in that area, similar to the rest of the city, there is no chance of electrocution due to a leakage in our line,” an official told The Times of India. The official further mentioned that the locality often has numerous hanging wires, creating a potential for theft or pilferage.
However, locals alleged widespread hooking and tapping practices in the area, which they deem unsafe. “CESC is well aware of the issue of hooking. Power supply has been disconnected from street lights, which were previously a source of illegal electricity for many households, thereby creating a hazardous environment, particularly after sunset. We urge CESC and KMC to take action against hooking in this locality,” Neyaz Akhtar, brother of Izhar Akhtar told TOI.
Following the report of the deaths, Mayor and State Urban Development Minister Firhad Hakim, who is also the local MLA, visited the location and echoed the suspicion of power theft as the potential cause of the electrocution.
The incident took place three days after a two people, including the headmistress of Raighati Primary School, were electrocuted to death due to contact with a live wire in Odisha’s Janindapal village, under the jurisdiction of Tomka police limits.
The deceased have been identified as Shyamsundar Marndi (45), a Railway Police constable, and Nitu Marandi (33), the headmistress of the school.
Preliminary investigations suggest that they came into contact with a live wire while using it to dry clothes on Friday morning, a police officer told PTI. The incident was registered as an unnatural death case at Tomka police station.
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