Missing doc found dead near Worli sea

The body of a senior Bombay hospital doctor, who went missing near Elphinstone Road on Tuesday after heavy rains lashed Mumbai, was found on Thursday near Worli sea shore, his family friends said.

Dr Deepak Amarapukar, 58, a senior gastroenterologist, was in his car on way to home in central Mumbai’s Prabhadevi when he decided to abandon both the vehicle and his driver and began walking, a family friend said.

“We got a call around 7:15am from the police. We are now taking the body to Sion hospital for post-mortem,” said Dr Gautam Bhansali, his colleague.

Another doctor said his body was completely swollen. His friends identified him through his wrist watch and the clothes.

Dr Amarapukar called his wife at 6.50pm on Tuesday, 10 minutes before he went untraceable. Police said a few witnesses saw a person, who looked like Dr Amrapurkar, walking in the middle of Tulsi Pipe Road. The witnesses said they warned him about the heavy flow of water, but he continued to walk.

“People had noticed a person being swept away by the water and losing his umbrella. Bystanders handed over the umbrella to police. It was later identified to be Dr Amarapurkar’s,” one of his colleagues said.

Dr Amarapukar is survived by his wife, Dr Anjali, and his children, who are in the US.