Couple, daughter & pet die after AC blast in Faridabad; 1 hurt

Faridabad: A couple, their daughter and dog suffocated to death while trying to escape a fire in their building which police say was caused by a short circuit in an AC unit early Monday. Their son was saved by their neighbours who reached the fourth-floor flat through the roof.

Earlier police had said a blast in the AC compressor in the couple’s room had led to the fire.

According to police, Sachin Kapoor (51), his wife Rinku Kapoor (48), and their daughter Sujjain (13) died of asphyxiation in the fire at Green Field Colony’s B Block.

The couple’s elder son, Aryan Kapoor (24), who survived, sustained fractures to his legs and is undergoing treatment at a nearby hospital.

Sachin, a native of Jabalpur in Madhya Pradesh, had been living in Faridabad for nearly 25 years and was engaged in share trading. The family had shifted to Green Field Colony five years ago and rented the second floor of the building, police said.

He had set up his office on the third floor of the building, while Rakesh Malik and his wife Ritu Malik along with their son lived on the first floor. The building’s fourth floor was rented to Rajat Goyal’s family.

Ritu said she woke up around 3.15 am to find the AC unit outdoors on fire. Within minutes, the blaze spread to the second floor where the Kapoors lived.

Sachin, his wife, and daughter were trapped as the terrace door was locked during the fire. Neighbours tried to help, but all three were found unconscious and later declared dead at a hospital. The Green Field police post said a preliminary investigation suggests the fire was caused by a short circuit

in the AC.