PUDUCHERRY: A 79-year-old woman was allegedly electrocuted to death while paying her respects to the mortal remains of a local man kept in a coffin with a freezer box at Kakkaiyan Thoppu near Ariyankuppam in Puducherry on Monday.
According to a complaint lodged by her son Krishnamurthy (62), his mother Rajathi (79) of Mudaliarpet and another person from the same locality placed their hands on the coffin to pay their respects when they suddenly suffered an electric shock and were thrown to the floor.
Palani (49), a local resident, had died following health complications. His body was placed in the coffin for relatives and villagers to pay their respects.
Police suspect that an electrical fault in the freezer box, possibly caused by the continuous rain over the past few days, could have led to the incident.
Those present immediately alerted others and prevented anyone else from touching the coffin. The power supply to the freezer box was disconnected, and the two injured persons were taken to the Indira Gandhi Government General Hospital. Doctors declared Rajathi dead, while the other person is undergoing treatment.
Police registered a case of suspicious death under Section 194 of the BNSS. The exact cause of death will be established after the postmortem report is received, police said.