Local residents said Narendra and another man were walking out of a waterlogged park when they crossed accumulated water around a transformer located at the exit. A purported video of the incident, widely circulated on social media, shows Narendra collapsing after suffering an electric shock, while the other man narrowly escaped.

Police have registered an FIR against unidentified persons under sections related to causing death by negligence. The post-mortem examination has been conducted and the report is awaited, they said.

“I met him on my way to work. He was sitting with friends, joking about the rain… Half an hour later, I found out he had died… I cannot make my mother understand that he is no more,” Kamlesh said.

Narendra, one of the four siblings, had stayed back in Ghaziabad with Kamlesh five years ago when their family returned to the village from the city.

“We both sent money home to support our parents and two siblings. He would send Rs 5,000-6,000 every month. That kept the family going,” Kamlesh said.

A local shopkeeper, Saurabh Chaturvedi, said his father was the first one to spot Narendra after he was electrocuted. “He, along with a few others, rushed with wooden sticks. They called the Power department to switch off the transformer, and after 15-20 minutes, pulled out the body.”

“About 50 people had gathered, but no one dared to enter the water,” said Dhannu, a local resident.

Residents alleged that they had repeatedly complained about the transformer, the latest complaint sent 10 days ago. “Around 10 days ago, a cow was electrocuted here, and even earlier, dogs had died,”  Dhannu added.

Pashchimanchal Vidyut Vitran Nigam Limited (PVVNL) officials, however, said they had received no prior complaints about the transformer. “We are waiting for the post-mortem report to know the exact cause of death. If it is because of electrocution, we will set up a committee to probe the incident,” an official said.

Hours earlier, in Noida, 27-year-old Aryan died after falling into a drain while navigating waterlogged roads in Sector 58 while he was on way to work. Police suspect Aryan, a resident of Sector 22, may have also been electrocuted by coming in contact with a live electric pole.

“The road was inundated. He saw people walking on the roadside, where drains were covered with stone slabs. It seems he came across a live electric pole and got electrocuted before stepping onto a missing drain slab and falling into the drain,” an officer said.

Police said the exact cause of death is yet to be established and that his viscera has been preserved. His body has been sent to his village in Farrukhabad, they added.