Bhubaneswar: A 16-year-old Class XI student tragically lost his life on Monday after falling from the 10th floor of a residential apartment in the upscale Niladri Vihar area of Chandrasekharpur here.
It is being suspected that the boy panicked and attempted a dangerous escape through a bathroom window and exterior pipes when his classmate’s mother returned home unexpectedly.
According to preliminary investigations, the boy had visited his girlfriend’s flat around 10:30 am while she was alone at home, as her mother was at work. Both students attended the same private English-medium school in the city. The girl’s mother, employed with a private company, returned early around 2 pm after learning her daughter was unwell.
Sensing her arrival, the boy reportedly hid inside the bathroom. When the mother grew suspicious and knocked on the door, he allegedly tried to flee by climbing out through the bathroom ventilation onto external pipes running along the building. He lost his footing and fell to the ground. Apartment staff heard a loud thud around 2:15 pm and discovered the body.
His school bag was later found hanging from pipes on the ninth floor, with broken pipe fragments scattered at the spot. The boy was rushed to a nearby private hospital but was declared dead on arrival.
Bhubaneswar DCP Jagmohan Meena stated that a scientific team visited the site, and police are examining CCTV footage along with statements from the girl, her mother, and eyewitnesses. “As of now, we do not see any foul play. His family members have not made any allegations. Preliminary findings suggest the boy died due to an accidental fall due to sudden panic. It was a case of adolescent love. In all probability, he was a minor,” Meena told reporters.
Police have registered a case of unnatural death and investigation is underway to ascertain the exact sequence of events.
