16-year-old student in North Delhi on Sunday fell from the rooftop of a neglected shopping complex that has remained largely abandoned for over a decade.

The boy, Kavin Kumar, a Class XI student, had left home saying he was going to play billiards with friends near his house in Gujranwala Town. Instead, the group entered North Gate Orbit Plaza Mall, a deteriorating structure where only a handful of establishments remain operational.

Police said Kavin and three others accessed the upper levels of the building and climbed onto the roof area, apparently attempting to move across sections of the structure. Investigators believe the boys initially crossed using iron support beams before Kavin attempted a second crossing over the domed portion of the roof.

During that attempt, his foot landed on a fibreglass sheet that could not support his weight. The panel collapsed, causing him to plunge from a height. He was rushed to Pentamed Hospital but was declared dead on arrival.

Snapchat Photo Becomes Teen’s Final Message

Moments before the fall, Kavin had sent a photograph via Snapchat to his cousin. The image reportedly showed the dome of the mall’s roof and later became the final message sent from his phone.

A security guard stationed at the premises said the incident took place around 5:30 pm. “I was near the (front) gate and heard a loud noise…workers who work at the banquet hall upstairs began yelling that someone had fallen,” he said.

On Monday, workers inside the mall were seen scrubbing blood stains from the floor near the site of the fall. Police have not registered an FIR yet but confirmed that an inquest is underway.

Kavin’s family has raised serious doubts about the sequence of events and the role of the teenagers who were with him.

“We received a call from a family friend that Kavin had been involved in an accident. Her son, who is also Kavin’s friend, had seen the crowd and police at the mall… he saw Kavin lying there on the floor,” said his uncle, Munit Kumar. “All his friends ran away. The police were also called by the staff of a restaurant that’s inside the mall.”

Another uncle, Sudhir Kumar, said the family was troubled by the lack of response from the boys who were present. “Those boys are showing no remorse whatsoever. They have not even visited our house even once,” he said.

Kavin’s cousin Advik Kumar also expressed concern about the company he kept. “I know those boys very well and they were not good company. I had warned Kavin to stop hanging out with them,” he said.

Security personnel posted at the mall stated that the group did not use the main entrance. “There are many ways children can sneak in. There are entries from the back of the mall. We never saw them come in,” one guard said.