CHENNAI: A 42-year-old woman, who was reported missing, was found dead in the elevator duct of a four-storied building on Ghosha Sahib Lane in Kothavalchavaadi on Sunday. Police suspect a malfunction lapse in the locally manufactured elevator to be the cause of her death.
Renu went missing after she went to purchase groceries on Saturday. “My daughters called me around 10 pm and informed that my wife did not return home, ” Renu’s husband Devi Singh told Express. “We lodged a formal police complaint on Sunday. We alerted cops after foul smell emanated from the lift,” he added.
Police believe Renu Kanwar could have died after she tripped into the 6-foot duct as she opened the door unmindful that the lift was at least one floor above and stepped in. The body was moved to Government Stanley Hospital for post-mortem and handed over to the family on Monday. Preliminary post-mortem reports revealed that the woman had fallen head-first and suffered fractures on her skull as also on the middle, ring and little fingers of the hand.
Following this, police analysed the operation of the lift with assistance of engineers from the manufacturer. Even as the representatives maintained that the lift door would open only if the safety lock is picked using a rod, one of Renu’s relatives opened it without tripping the lock. The engineers argued that the lock could have been strained due to the recovery of the body from the duct. Devi Singh said the lift was installed two months ago and had been used only for about 45 days. “I used the lift to reach the fourth floor on Saturday night. We never tried to force open the door,” he quipped.