PTI
Bengaluru
Two foreign nationals, including a crew member of a German airline, staying at a five-star hotel here have died allegedly due to suspected electrocution while swimming in the hotel’s pool, police said
on Saturday.
The deceased were identified as Alexander Maximilian Theiss (57), a German national working as a crew member with Lufthansa, and Juraj Horvat (45), a project manager with IBM, they said.
According to police, the incident occurred on Friday evening at the swimming pool located on the third floor of the hotel
in Halasuru.
Two other persons – a US national and a guest at the hotel, Mathew Desantis (41), and the hotel’s pool attendant, Rahul Tiwari (28), sustained injuries while attempting to rescue the victims, a senior
police officer said.
Both injured persons were shifted to Manipal Hospital, where they are undergoing treatment. They are out of danger, he said.
Police said Horvat had checked into the hotel with his family on October 30, while Theiss had checked into the hotel on October 20.
Speaking to reporters here, Bengaluru Police Commissioner Seemant Kumar Singh said, “An unfortunate incident took place on Friday evening at a five-star hotel, where two foreign nationals lost their lives in a swimming pool…There is a suspicion of electrical leakage, and it appears to be a case of electrocution. However, until we receive the medical, technical and expert reports, we cannot determine exactly what happened.”
“We have received a complaint from the spouse of one of the deceased. Our police are investigating the incident. We have cordoned off the area and are trying to ascertain the exact cause of the incident. We will establish the facts,” he said.
A case has been registered against the hotel management under Section 106 (causing death due to negligence) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, and further investigation is under way, police said. Closed-circuit television (CCTV) camera records are also being checked; staff are being questioned, and statements from eyewitnesses are being collected, they added.
