CHENNAI: A 70-year-old woman working at a popular biriyani outlet on GST Road in Pallavaram died after falling into an elevator shaft at the restaurant that operates out of a three-storeyed building.
The deceased was identified as M Mumtaz. According to police sources, Mumtaz arrived for work around 10 am and called for the elevator from the first floor carrying a biryani bucket.
The elevator was on its way down from the second floor, but the doors on the first floor opened before it arrived or properly aligned with the floor level.
Mistaking the open doors for the elevator’s arrival, Mumtaz stepped forward and fell into the shaft, sustaining severe injuries to her head and the body, the police said.
Another employee on the floor heard her cries and alerted security personnel, following which the staff informed the Pallavaram police. A police team that reached the spot found Mumtaz at the bottom of the shaft with grievous injuries. She died at the spot and her body was sent to the Tambaram Government Hospital for post-mortem.
The Pallavaram police have registered a case and are examining whether a technical fault—failure of the lift’s cable or another safety mechanism—caused the doors to open prematurely.
The biryani outlet had taken the building on rent, according to the police.
With no CCTV camera covering the area, police are questioning employees and others present to piece the exact sequence of events.
A senior police officer said the case was registered under relevant BNS sections, which may be altered based on the probe findings.