• Residents’ reports led to grim discovery
• Official probe focuses on elevator safety and malfunctions

A 77-year-old man was found dead inside an elevator shaft in a residential complex in Bhopal, India, roughly ten days after being reported missing, prompting authorities to launch an investigation into the circumstances and potential maintenance or safety lapses.

Local media reported that residents of the Misrod area alerted authorities to a foul odor near one of the elevators, leading a maintenance team to lift the elevator cabin and discover the body at the bottom of the shaft.

The deceased was identified as Pritam Giri through his clothing and slippers.

Police stated that Giri had left his home about ten days earlier, informing his family that he was heading to Mandideep, but he did not return.

The family filed a missing person report the same night, followed by an official FIR at Misrod Police Station the next day.

Assistant Commissioner of Police Rajnish Kashyap said the case has been registered as an unnatural death, with a post-mortem report awaited to determine the exact cause.

Preliminary findings suggest chest injuries consistent with a fall inside the elevator shaft.

Police confirmed that notices will be issued to the elevator operating company and the residential complex’s maintenance team to verify when the elevator became non-functional, what repair actions were taken, and whether any negligence contributed to the incident.

A local newspaper noted that the elevator had been out of service since around the time the man went missing, and the body was discovered during maintenance work.