Bengaluru: A 22-year-old BSc graduate died after he got trapped in a cage lift at a hotel in Jayanagar Thursday morning. His head was crushed between the lift’s iron grills and the wall, leaving him with fatal injuries. Police registered a case of negligence against the hotel owner, building owner and lift maintenance staff.The deceased, Rajesh Chandrayya Shivappayyanmath, was a native of Hubballi. Based on preliminary investigation, police said the incident occurred at 8am at Dakshina Upahar Hotel in Jayanagar 4th Block, owned by Rajesh’s friend.Rajesh frequently visited his aunt’s house in Yelachenahalli, south Bengaluru, and also stayed with his friend. For the past three months, he had been regularly visiting the hotel to help his friend run the business. The hotel functions in a multi-storey building equipped with a cage lift used for transporting materials between floors.On Thursday morning, Rajesh reportedly entered the cage lift carrying a few materials. As the lift reached the first floor, his head and neck allegedly got trapped between the iron grills of the lift and the building wall. Police said he died on the spot.A senior officer said investigators are still trying to determine how Rajesh’s head got trapped in the lift. “He was probably trying to look down through the gap when the accident occurred,” the officer said.Following the incident, Jayanagar police registered a case under Section 106 (causing death by negligence) against the hotel owner, building owner and the lift maintenance staff. Police are investigating whether negligence, poor maintenance or safety lapses contributed to the fatal accident.
