Grave negligence alleged at Bhopal's society: 77-year-old found dead in lift shaft after 10 days search

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• Decomposed body of missing 77-year-old found in Bhopal lift shaft
• Residents blame builder and management for negligence and poor lift safety.
• Family demands safety audit, strict action; police investigating.

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Nearly ten days after a 77-year-old resident vanished from a premium housing complex in Bhopal, his decomposed body was discovered in a place no one had thought to look -- the lift shaft of his own building.

The discovery has triggered allegations of grave negligence against the builder and society management, with residents questioning safety standards despite hefty monthly maintenance fees.

The grim find came late Saturday night when residents of Chinar Dream City in the Misrod area complained of a foul smell emanating from one of the lifts.

A technician was summoned to inspect the problem. When the lift shaft was opened, the elderly man’s body was found crushed at the bottom of the duct.

Police later confirmed that the body was badly mutilated and in an advanced state of decomposition, suggesting it had been trapped there for about 10 to 11 days, repeatedly struck by lift movement.

The deceased, Pritam Giri Goswami, lived with his son in flat D-304 of the complex. On January 7, he reportedly left his apartment to sit outside in the winter sunlight and never returned.

When he could not be located, the family approached Misrod police station to file a missing person complaint.

For days, relatives and police searched for him in and around the city, unaware that he was lying inside the building itself. The revelation has left residents shocked and angry.

The victim’s family has accused the builder and the society’s management of ignoring long-standing complaints about faulty lift operations.

According to residents, around Rs 1,500 is collected from each household every month as maintenance charges, but essential safety checks were allegedly neglected.

“This is not an accident, it is negligence,” said the victim’s son Dharmendra Goswami, calling for strict action against those responsible. He also demanded an immediate safety audit of all lifts in the complex to prevent similar incidents.

Residents echoed these concerns, claiming that timely servicing and adherence to safety norms could have averted the tragedy.

Police officials said procedural steps are underway. “After receiving information about the body inside the lift shaft, police recovered it and registered an inquest. Further action will be taken based on the post-mortem report and investigation,” said Misrod police station in-charge Ratan Singh Parihar.

Beyond the personal loss, the incident has sparked broader questions about accountability in gated communities, where regular maintenance payments do not always translate into basic safety for residents.