KOLKATA: A 12-year-old boy died after reportedly falling off the roof of a 11-storey apartment building in a posh condo on Canal Circular Road, close to Subhas Sarobar, on Sunday evening.
Police are investigating whether he fell while trying to replicate a stunt depicted in a Japanese anime series, which he had been watching on his mobile just moments previously.
The child, a Class VIII pupil of a reputable school in Park Circus, was the younger of two siblings. The Phoolbagan police said he was found unconscious near the swimming pool of the complex around 7pm on Sunday. He was rushed to Divine Nursing Home nearby, where he was declared brought dead. “Prima facie, the boy is suspected to have fallen from the rooftop of the 11-storey building,” said an officer.
Priyabrata Roy, DCP (Eastern Suburban), said it was too early to conclude whether the boy’s death was an accident or a suicide. “His family members told us that he was behaving normally, and that there was no reason for him to be upset,” Roy told TOI. “He was a keen viewer of a Japanese web series, our probe has revealed so far. Since the incident took place soon after he had finished watching the series, a link cannot be ignored, and we are probing it. So far, we have also not recovered any suicide note. But we will be speaking to family members once they get over their initial shock,” he added.
TOI could not speak to the boy’s family.
A police source said the boy’s mobile phone, “which has a few animation films stored”, could help them crack the case. “We have found out that all through the duration of the pandemic, the doors to the rooftop were to be locked at 6pm each day. But the incident was reported an hour after this, indicating that the door was either open or that the child had accessed the terrace before the doors were locked. We will record the statement of the security guards and obtain CCTV footage,” said an investigating officer.
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