A 24-year-old woman died of electrocution on 2 July after stepping onto a waterlogged road in Dombivli East, Mumbai, where a snapped live electric wire had fallen during heavy rainfall. The victim, identified as Shashi Rahul Chakra, had left home to buy food and essentials for her two young children and never returned.

How the tragedy unfolded

Continuous rainfall had caused severe waterlogging across the area. According to reports, a downed electric wire had made contact with the accumulated rainwater, effectively turning the flooded stretch into a live conductor. Unaware of the danger, Chakra walked through the waterlogged road, suffered a severe electric shock, and was declared brought dead at Shastri Nagar Hospital after the body was taken into custody by the Tilak Nagar Police Station.

A post-mortem examination was subsequently conducted, according to senior inspector Pankaj Bhalerao of Tilak Nagar Police Station.

Residents blame power department negligence

The incident has triggered public outrage in the locality. Residents alleged that the death was entirely preventable — had authorities either removed the live wire promptly or disconnected power supply to the affected stretch before the flooding worsened. They have demanded strict action against the officials responsible for the lapse.

This comes amid a broader pattern of monsoon-related civic failures in Mumbai, where waterlogging and infrastructure neglect have repeatedly proved fatal. Notably, just a day earlier, on Tuesday, an 11-year-old student was killed after a tree collapsed onto a school bus in Mumbai's Chembur area, leading to the suspension of officers found negligent in their duties.

Bribery allegation against police officer

The tragedy was compounded by a separate allegation from the victim's husband, Rahul Chakra, who claimed that a police officer demanded 'kharcha-pani' — a colloquial term for a bribe — from him during legal formalities at the hospital.

Senior inspector Bhalerao refuted the charge, explaining that since the family intended to transport the body to their native village, a mandatory two-day mortuary storage period applied, and the constable had merely informed the family of the official prescribed storage fee. 'Why would the police demand money from a poor family?' Bhalerao said, adding that if any wrongdoing is established, an inquiry will be conducted and appropriate action will follow.

The family has demanded a fair investigation into both the electrocution and the alleged bribery incident.

What happens next

With public anger mounting over civic negligence and the family's bribery allegation still unresolved, authorities face pressure on two fronts. The power department has yet to issue a formal response to the negligence charges. The fate of both probes — into the electrocution and the alleged demand for money — will be closely watched by residents and civil society groups in the coming days.