In a dramatic three-hour operation, a team from the Matunga police rescued a 90-year-old ailing man trapped inside his house and rushed him to Breach Candy hospital, saving his life.
According to the police, Nazneen Balsara, whose uncle Eruch Balsara stays alone in the Umrigar building on Tilak Road in Dadar (East), came to the police station around 8.40 p.m. on April 30 seeking help.
Helping hands: Sub-inspector Urmila Kirdat and (right) assistant inspector Jaywant Dambale.
“Ms Balsara told us that her uncle had not been responding to the doorbell or phone calls,” police sub-inspector Urmila Kirdat said.
A team comprising assistant police inspector Jaywant Dambale, Ms. Kirdat and three constables rushed to Mr. Balsara’s residence in a police van equipped with stretchers and first-aid kits.
Help from Fire Brigade
“Mr. Dambale and Ms. Kirdat, too, did not get any response from Mr. Balsara. The door was too tough to break open, so the team called the Mumbai Fire Brigade for assistance,” senior police inspector B.M. Kakad, Matunga police station, said.
Officials from Dadar fire station reached the spot and gained access to the first floor flat by cutting open the grilles on the kitchen window. “There were two grilles and the kitchen door was also locked. Fire officials broke open the door and saw Mr. Balsara lying unconscious on the bed in the living room. They opened the main door for us. We realised that Mr. Balsara was breathing,” Ms. Kirdat said.
Ms. Balsara insisted that her uncle be taken to Breach Candy Hospital, even though Sion Hospital was the closest. The police put Mr. Balsara in the police van using a stretcher, but the operation was far from over.
Trouble en route
Wishing to avoid traffic on the main road, the police decided to take inner roads to get to Breach Candy. However, these roads were also clogged due to road repair work at several spots.
“Realising that time was precious, we cut onto the wrong side of the road whenever we could, while our constables ran in front of the van, clearing traffic. Meanwhile, Ms. Balsara contacted other family members, and by the time we reached Breach Candy close to midnight, a bed had already been booked in the Intensive Care Unit for Mr. Balsara,” Ms. Kirdat said.
‘Our mission’
Mr. Kakad said Mr. Balsara is now under observation and recovering.
“Not just crime detection and prevention, but extending every possible form of assistance is our mission. Our team displayed this in the best way possible,” he said.
In a note released through a friend on Twitter on Thursday, Ms. Balsara thanked the police for their efforts. “As an average citizen, we have been so inundated with negative news that we see rampant cynicism all around. In such times, when you personally encounter sincerity in a uniform, your heart dances to the beat of hope and enthusiasm and it so reinforces this truth that rainbows will some day break though grey cloudy skies,” the note said.
