A 20-year-old worker of a wholesale fruit shop, located at Khanderao Market in Vadodara, was killed Saturday when his head was partially severed in an elevator inside the three-storeyed shop. The incident occurred around noon, creating panic in the busy market as the co-workers screamed for help.

The owner of the shop, Ramesh Sangtani, said, “The youth had joined us about two weeks ago. He was engaged in taking the fruit stock for storage on the upper floors. He was busy doing his work when suddenly there was a scream and a pool of blood below. We did not even have the time to react and we do not know what went wrong. We saw his decapitated body and called the ambulance but they declared him dead. We also informed the police simultaneously.”

The family of the youth, who resided in Danteshwar area, arrived to claim his body later on Saturday, following a police investigation of the site.

An officer of the Navapura police station in Vadodara said police had sought the CCTV camera footage to study the incident but the angle of the cameras did not have a clear view.

“We have registered a case of accidental death and are investigating if there was any negligence on part of the shop owners that could have led to this mishap. If there is any wrongdoing found, we will book those responsible accordingly,” the officer added.