Birthday balloons explode inside lift in Mumbai’s Goregaon; CCTV captures chilling moment

MUMBAI: A 21-year-old student, Himani Tapriya, suffered burns on her arm, neck and stomach after dozens of gas-filled balloons exploded inside a building lift at Amol Tower in Goregaon (West) on Monday night, police said.The Goregaon police registered a case of negligence against the owner of the shop, T K Jaiswal, after his employee was sent to deliver the balloons to the residential building. The delivery boy, Raju Kumar Mahato (32), who was carrying the balloons, also suffered burn injuries in the incident.Police said the incident occurred around 10.30 pm, soon after Mahato entered the lift with the gas-filled balloons, followed by Tapriya and another person.“Jaiswal has been booked under Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita Section 125 (negligence) and has been served a notice. He did not provide safety instructions to the delivery person, which led to the incident. Mahato was carrying around 10 to 12 gas-filled balloons that were ordered by a building resident, Arpit Jain, for a birthday celebration in his family,” an officer from Goregaon police station said.Tapriya, who hails from Surat, had just arrived from her hometown to meet her aunt when the incident took place. In her complaint, Tapriya stated: “I had just arrived at the building from Surat and took the lift to go to my aunt’s flat when a person carrying around a dozen balloons entered the lift. Suddenly, the balloons in his hand exploded, causing serious injuries to my right arm, neck and stomach.”Police said Tapriya was out of danger and was provided medical assistance immediately.The officer added that Tapriya alleged the incident occurred due to negligence and careless behaviour on the part of Mahato’s employer, as the delivery person was not provided with any safety equipment. Police said a legal complaint was registered against the employer.