Bengaluru: In a tragic incident reported from Girinagar on Friday, a 32-year-old man died after he was electrocuted while attempting to rescue a pet parrot that had flown onto a high-tension electricity pole near a private apartment complex. The deceased has been identified as Arun Kumar, a resident of Nagamangala.

According to police, Arun had been working for the past few years at a relative’s shop in Veerabhadranagar under Girinagar police limits. His relative, Likhita, lived in a nearby apartment where she kept a foreign breed parrot worth nearly ₹2 lakh. The bird frequently flew around the apartment premises, and Arun was also known to be very affectionate towards it.

How the Incident Occurred

On Friday morning, around 9.45 am, the parrot escaped from Likhita’s flat and landed on a 66,000 kV high-tension electric pole located inside the apartment compound. Fearing that the bird might get electrocuted if it remained close to the live wires, Arun climbed onto the compound wall in an attempt to retrieve it. He tied a wooden stick to an iron pipe to gently push the bird away from the wire.

During this effort, Arun accidentally came into contact with the live high-tension wire, receiving a massive electric shock which caused him to fall to the ground. He was rushed to a nearby hospital, where doctors declared him brought dead.

Sources confirmed that the parrot survived the incident unharmed.

Officials Inspect the Spot

Following the accident, officials from the Bangalore Electricity Supply Company (BESCOM), Karnataka Electricity Board (KEB), and personnel from the Girinagar police station visited the location and conducted an inspection. Local residents expressed strong concern over the presence of high-tension power lines running through residential apartment premises, calling them a constant threat to public safety.

DCP Bengaluru North, BS Nemagowda, said that a case of Unnatural Death Report (UDR) has been registered at Girinagar police station and further investigation is underway. Locals also informed that Likhita had purchased the expensive parrot only a few months ago.

Similar Incident in June

In a separate but similar tragedy from June this year, five people died and one was critically injured while attempting to rescue a calf that had fallen into a well in Dharnawada village of Guna district, Madhya Pradesh. A young man jumped into the well to save the animal, followed by five others who rushed to help, but all of them reportedly inhaled toxic gas present inside the well. By the time rescue teams arrived, five individuals had already died of suffocation.