NEW DELHI: A malfunctioning biometric machine, installed to screen members entering the swimming pool of a health club in northwest Delhi, claimed a life on Monday when an eight-year-old boy was electrocuted on touching the gadget.

The victim, Minaksh Moga , lived in Oman and was visiting his grandparents in Delhi. He was accompanying his uncle, Pradeep, to the pool at the Healthways Gym and Swim Club in Keshavpuram.

The same day, a 25-year-old man was electrocuted in UP while inserting his debit card at an ATM machine.

Police said Pradeep felt a shock while registering his fingerprint on the machine. As he was alerting the club authorities about it, Minaksh put his finger in the slot out of curiosity. Eyewitnesses said he shook violently and collapsed. He was taken to a private hospital where he was declared dead on arrival.

Police have sealed the club and deployed specialists to zero in on the reason for the electrocution.

N Gnanasambandhan, deputy commissioner of police (northwest), said a case under section 304 A (causing death due to negligence) has been registered. “We have sealed the club and the managers have been called to join the probe,” he said.

Minaksh father Mukesh Moga is a senior engineer at a multinational company in Oman. The child had come to his grandparents in Delhi while his parents went to Pune. He was currently staying with his uncle in Prashant Vihar. Minaksh’s grandfather is an assistant commissioner at the Delhi Police crime branch.

After an autopsy at a government hospital, the body was handed over to the family members on Tuesday. It was then flown to Pune, where the cremation took place.

A crime and forensic team examined the site of the electrocution. Police said initial investigations suggest that rain had caused a snag in the earthing mechanism which led to the shock. The device has been taken off and sent for forensic analysis.

Meanwhile, club authorities said that an internal probe has been initiated. “This is an unfortunate incident, we will take every measure to ensure the safety of our members and conduct a probe into how this happened,” said a spokesperson of the club.