A woman plummeted to her death from the fourth floor of the BDA complex in Jayanagar on Tuesday. She is believed to have gone in search of a toilet but fell into a duct instead.
Jayamma (65), a resident of Tavarekere in Bangalore Rural, was visiting the Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) office at the complex to enquire about her pension.
According to the police, her fall went unnoticed for hours as she landed near the women’s toilet on the ground floor, where repairs were under way. Her body was found in the evening by some workers, who alerted the police. The body was taken to KIMS hospital.
The police said the duct, which is about 3 feet wide, runs down four floors of the building. The door to the duct was earlier kept bolted, but as workers frequent it for repairs and maintenance, it was only bolted. As the door to the women’s toilet was right next to the duct, police suspect that Jayamma might have been looking to go there instead.
There were no signboards indicating that the door led to a duct. Poor lighting may have played a part in the accident, shopkeepers said.
Jayamma’s daughter Usha told the police that Jayamma retired as a Group D employee with the BBMP. Her mother, who was staying with her at BTM Layout on Tuesday, went to inquire about her pension and complete some paperwork.
The Jayanagar police added that no case of negligence had been registered; it was registered as a case of unnatural death.
