A 14-year-old domestic help died in hospital after allegedly falling off the fourth floor of an under-construction building in Chittagong city’s Hazari Lane area on Thursday night.
Police identified the victim as Bulbuli, from Fatikchhari upazila of Chittagong district.
The incident happened around 11pm, said Jaharlal Hazari, local ward councillor.
“Locals told me that the girl jumped off the fourth floor of the building late at night,” he told the Dhaka Tribune. “Some of them went into the building right away to see if anyone had pushed her off the building, but they did not find anyone.”
Critically injured, Bulbuli was rushed to Chittagong Medical College Hospital (CMCH) where she died two hours later while undergoing treatment, said Sub-Inspector Sirajul Mostafa of Kotwali police station.
Assistant Sub-Inspector (ASI) Pankaj Barua of Chittagong Medical College Hospital (CMCH) police outpost said Bulbuli had been working as a domestic help at a house near the under-construction building for seven years.
Her employer, named Subimal, brought her from Fatikchhari in 2009 to work for his three-member family, said Siraj.
Police grilled Subimal and his family after the incident but found no significant information, he added.
“According to her employers, on the night of the incident, Bulbuli went to a wedding with them and came back with them. We are suspecting that she may have committed suicide because the witnesses said it seemed she made the jump herself, rather than being forced to jump,” Siraj told the Dhaka Tribune.
Police will take necessary legal action after getting the the autopsy report of Bulbuli's body, he added.
This is the fourth incident of an under-age domestic help dying after falling from a building in Chittagong since October.
Earlier, nine-year-old domestic help Sultana died after allegedly falling off the rooftop of a five-storey building on February 23 in the city’s Khulshi area. On November 12, 12-year-old Bali Akhtar Polly succumbed to her injuries at a private hospital after allegedly falling from the fourth floor of a residential building while trying to escape through a balcony in the city’s Amirabad area.
On October 7, seven-year-old Munni died after allegedly falling off the fifth floor of a six-storey building in the city.