Frightened Girl Dies After Ghost Prank

A prank turned horribly wrong in a Murshidabad school hostel on Wednesday. A Class V girl suffered a cardiac arrest and died after being frightened by some youths dressed up as ghosts during a power cut in the evening. Five other girls were also taken ill. Police said that around 8 pm, when the area was in the grip of a power cut, five youths scaled the wall of the Itar Santhal High School hostel in Murshidabad's Nabagram. The youths, wearing masks, slipped into the premises and knocked on the door. When the girls did not open the door, they peeped in through a window and made howling noises.Most of the girls were frightened, said sources. Pratima Baske fell unconscious and was rushed to a local hospital. She was declared dead on arrival. Five girls were hospitalised. Probe revealed that Pratima had suffered a cardiac arrest. School authorities suspect the pranksters are local residents. "The boys' and the girls' hostel are divided by a high wall. Such an incident has never happened," said headmaster Arindam Mondal. "The girls were frightened by the masked faces." Police are searching for the pranksters.