Woman, 6-year-old son die after fall from 18th floor of Wakad high-rise; handwritten note found

A 33-year-old woman and her six-year-old son died on Friday evening after falling from the 18th floor of a residential building in Wakad, Pimpri-Chinchwad. The incident has left residents of Signature Park, and the wider Pimpri-Chinchwad area, in shock. Wakad police have registered an accidental death case and begun an investigation.

According to police, the woman has been identified as Ekta Bhangad. She lived with her husband, Manoj Bhangad, and their son in the upmarket Signature Park complex in Wakad. The family is originally from Rajasthan and had been settled in Pimpri-Chinchwad for some time. Manoj Bhangad works as an engineer with an IT company in Pune.

Police said that at the time of the incident, around 6.30 pm, only Ekta and the child are said to have been at home. After the fall from the building, both mother and son were found, and both were dead. Their slippers are said to have been found near the gallery area.

Investigators said Ekta had suffered for several years from a spinal cord ailment. She is said to have consulted doctors and undergone treatment at various hospitals, but her health did not improve. A handwritten note was recovered from the spot. It is said to refer to her long illness and the hardships it caused her.

Police have seized the seven- to eight-page note and are examining its contents. It is addressed to her husband, Manoj. Ekta is said to have asked him in it to marry again after she is gone and start his life afresh. In the note she also set out her fears about leaving her six-year-old son behind.

According to the note, Ekta was worried that the child would keep looking for her and ask his father where his mother was, which would cause Manoj even more mental anguish. She is also said to have voiced concern that, while raising the child alone, it might later become difficult for Manoj to think of remarrying. These thoughts and worries about the family's life after her death form part of the note, which is now being examined in the investigation.

Wakad police reached the spot on being informed and registered the case as an accidental death. Further investigation is under way. Relatives and neighbours are in deep grief over the deaths of Ekta and her son, and a pall of gloom hangs over Signature Park and the surrounding area.