17-year-old boy charred to death inside electric shop in Tughlaqabad

NEW DELHI: A 17-year-old boy was charred to death when the shop he was sleeping in caught fire in South East Delhi's Tughlaqabad on Friday morning.

The police received a call at around 7:45 am where the caller informed the cops about the fire. Soon, the police team along with fire brigade rushed to the spot. The locals too helped douse the fire before the help could arrive.

However, the boy identified as Viplav alias Sunny was charred to death inside the shop. Police said that he could not get an escape route when the fire engulfed the electric shop early morning.

"The boy resides just behind the shop but often slept in the shop he worked in. It seems that an electric short circuit has caused the fire. As the fire spread, the boy seems to have been stuck inside and couldn't come out as the entrance and exit were common and blocked by a wooden table. He then seems to have rushed to the backside but could not escape," said a police officer.

Before help could reach, the boy was charred to death. The owner of the shop who too resides nearby tried to douse the flames but the boy could not be saved. He was rushed to the hospital but was declared brought dead by the hospital.

Prima facie, police have ruled out the possibility of any foul play. "It was basically an electrical goods repair shop, which had old iron rods, heaters, geysers and old TVs. The boy was sleeping inside. We do not know if he had switched on a heater in the night. Our investigation is on and we have registered a case of negligence," said a senior Police officer.

The cause of the fire is being investigated but prima facie, it seems that the electric short circuit caused the fire. The body has been sent for postmortem.