Bescom officials on station bail after Whitefield electrocution horror

Bengaluru: Five Bescom officials, arrested after a 23-year-old woman and her nine-month baby had been electrocuted, were released on station bail, according to a senior police officer.

The woman, Soundharya, was walking with her 24-year-old husband Santosh on the footpath near Hope Farm on Whitefield, holding her baby Suviksha in her arms, when she stepped on a live wire at 6 am. Police said that she and the baby were electrocuted.

The Kadugodi police, who arrived at the spot after being informed by some passersby, detained the five officials and held a few rounds of questioning. Around the evening of the same day, the five officials were placed under arrest.

The Kadugodi police registered a case and booked Shree Ram, Executive Engineer; Subramanya, Assistant Executive Engineer; Chetan, Assistant Engineer, Whitefield Division; Rajanna, Junior Engineer, Whitefield Division; and Manjunath, Station Operator.

The case has been booked under IPC Section 304A (causing death by negligence), which is a bailable charge. "The five Bescom officials were released on station bail late Sunday night,” a senior police officer told DH.

A well-placed police source said: “The five were released on station bail after obtaining surety that they would be present at the station whenever they would be called for an inquiry.”