Brothers choke to death in burning house

Eight-year-old Bharath and his brother Sharath had crawled under a cot to escape from the smoke emanating from a fire at their third-floor single-room tenement at 26th Cross, Nakalu Bande Slum at Jayanagar 3rd East Block, around 1 pm.

Their mother Bhagya (30), a domestic help, had locked up the boys in the windowless house and gone to work, police said. According to them, the children lit a candle while playing. Some books kept nearby caught fire and spread to the cot, clothes, and other household articles. In no time, the entire house was full of smoke, rendering the children unable to breathe.

Bhagya had left for work at 9:30 am and her husband Raju (35), an autorickshaw driver, also left in the morning. At 11 am, she had returned to serve milk and beaten rice (avalakki) to her children and gone back to work.

A neighbour noticed the fire and the police were informed. When Bhagya returned and opened the door, the children were lying still. The children were rushed to a private hospital in J P Nagar where they were declared brought dead.

Bharath and Sharath were Classes III and II students respectively in Geetha Primary School, Jayanagar. The couple hail from Kanakapura and have been staying in the locality for the past four years. The children were very mischievous. “That’s why Bhagya would lock them in before leaving for work. The landlord had tried to persuade her not to do so. But she didn’t listen,” a neighbour said.