Hyderabad: A three-year-old girl’s fun time at a kids’ play zone in City Centre of Banjara Hills turned into a nightmare, as an accident with a machine crushed four of her fingers, leaving her permanently disabled. The incident took place on Saturday afternoon.
The girl, Mehwish Lubna Begum, was seated in a shuttle machine for a ride when she placed her right hand over the chain attached to the motor, which crushed her fingers.
Her parents, who rushed her to a private hospital and got her operated on, lodged a complaint with the police against the management of the Smash Zone, following which the police are verifying the CCTV footage of the incident to initiate action.
The girl is stable and was discharged from the hospital on Sunday.
“We received a complaint from Begum’s father Syed Maqsud Ali and her uncle Osman Ali around 10 am on Sunday. We visited the spot, checked the rear part of the space shuttle machine that was left unlocked, posing a risk to the kids who come to play at the Smash Zone at City Centre,” said S. Karunakar Reddy, Banjara Hills police sub-inspector.
The police questioned the staff members, who were unable to provide any information, while the manager was not available. “We intimated the manager and owner to visit the police station for questioning,” Karunakar Reddy said.
Police sources said that as per a preliminary investigation, the workers do not switch on air conditioners to save costs and leave the rear door of the shuttle open to ensure the motor does not overheat.
“We have registered a case under Section 337 of IPC and based on the doctor’s report, we will alter the case to Section 338 of IPC against the Smash Zone owner,” Karunakar Reddy said.
Begum’s aunt Mehatab Jahan said that she had taken her niece along with her three kids to the play zone, with one still an infant and required to be carried in her arms.
“I heard Lubna Begum screaming for help, bleeding from both hands that were stuck in a chain on an uncovered machine. I handed my son to another woman and rushed to help her with great difficulty. I was able to remove her hands from the running motor,” Mehatab Jahan said.
As she raised the alarm, the attenders switched off the machine, following which she contacted the girl’s father and her husband, who rushed her to a hospital and got her operated on.
Osman Ali said that the girl’s right hand was stuck, due to which her three fingers were completely crushed and her left-hand index finger also was partially crushed.
“There was not a single member from the management at Smash Zone to take care of children who were playing. It was sheer negligence of the management due to which Begum lost her fingers,” Osman Ali said in the complaint.
Further, he alleged that the management deleted the CCTV footage and claimed there was none when he asked for it.
