Business as usual at Conrad Bengaluru amid probe into fatal pool electrocution
Corporate meetings and conferences continued at the luxury hotel as police and technical teams investigated the deaths of two foreign guests and questions mounted over pool safety
Hours after two foreign nationals were electrocuted in its swimming pool, business continued as usual at Conrad Bengaluru on Saturday (October 31), with corporate meetings and conferences proceeding uninterrupted even as an official probe got underway.
When The Federal visited the luxury five-star hotel, staff and guests were moving about normally. However, security guards quickly stopped us from filming and insisted that we leave the premises.
Probe examines pool safety measures
Declining to offer a detailed comment on Saturday, a hotel representative said: “Right now, our complete focus is on supporting the families of the victims during this difficult time, and we cannot make any detailed statements at this stage. Our team visited the two injured persons at the hospital this morning, and they are doing well and are out of danger. We will issue an official statement on Sunday.”
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Speaking to The Federal, the Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) confirmed that a joint technical investigation was underway to establish the cause of the fatal electric shock. “We are investigating the matter jointly with BESCOM and BWSSB officials. Technical experts are examining the pool’s pump setup, underwater lighting fixtures and earthing lines to pinpoint the exact failure that sent live current into the water,” the ACP said.
The tragedy has raised serious questions about safety compliance at high-end properties. Conrad Bengaluru, a 24-storey luxury five-star hotel managed by the Hilton Group, charges between ₹20,000 and ₹30,000 a night. The incident has left guests and hospitality watchers stunned and prompted questions about how such a fatal incident could occur at a property operated by a leading international brand. It has also drawn sharp criticism online and triggered wider concerns about guest safety and basic maintenance standards at premier hotels across the country.
Hotel faces negligence charges
The incident occurred on Friday evening at the hotel’s third-floor swimming pool. The victims have been identified as Alexander Maximilian Theiss (57), a German national and Lufthansa crew member, and Juraj Horvat (45), a Slovakian project manager working with IBM. Two other men, Mathew Desantis (41), an American guest, and Rahul Tiwari (28), a hotel staffer on duty near the pool, were injured while attempting to rescue the two men from the water.
All four were rushed to Manipal Hospital. Doctors said one of the victims was brought dead, while emergency teams attempted to revive the other but were unable to save him. Desantis and Tiwari, who suffered electric shocks while attempting the rescue, were treated and are now out of danger. Both remain in hospital and are awaiting discharge.
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The wife of one of the victims has filed a police complaint accusing the hotel of gross negligence and poor maintenance, alleging that these failures led to her husband’s death. Acting on the complaint, Halasuru police registered a case against the hotel’s management and staff on charges of causing death by negligence.
(This article was originally published in The Federal Karnataka.)
