A 46-year-old director of a retail chain was crushed to death under a lift after he stepped into its shaft in Worli area here, police said on Monday. The incident took place on Sunday evening when Vishal Mewani, who was the director of Kohinoor Electronics, went to meet his friend in the two-storey Buena Vista building in Worli, a police official said.

He called for the lift, but stepped into its shaft after opening the lift channel. On realising that he was in the shaft, he tried to move out but failed and got crushed under the lift which was coming down, the official said.

Fire brigade officials rushed to the spot and Mewani was pulled out. He was taken to Breach Candy Hospital where he was declared dead on arrival, the official said. “He spoke to his wife 30 minutes before the incident and told her that he was going to meet his friend. On the basis of primary information, an Accidental Death Report (ADR) has been registered and further investigation is underway,” Worli police station’s senior inspector Sukhlal Varpe said.

PTI ZA GK GK.