55-yr-old man jumps off Vashi creek bridge

One week after two teenagers from Wadala jumped off Vashi creek bridge, a 55-yearold man from Vashi was found dead in the creek on Friday.

The police suspect he committed suicide by jumping off the bridge the previous night.

According to the police, Ashok Dondubite, a resident of Sector 5, went missing on Thursday.

“In the evening, he called his family and told them that he was going to commit suicide. The family members registered a missing persons case,” said a police officer from Vashi police station.

On Friday, his body was spotted under the old bridge. “We have learnt from his family that the deceased’s son died a few months ago and he went into depression. We sent his body to NMMC hospital for a post mortem,” he said.

Police sources said over 20 people jumped off the bridge to commit suicide in the last one year. Many of them were saved by local fishermen.

“Most of the people attempt to suicide jumping off the old bridge, as the new bridge is crowded with traffic. It has been observed that a majority of such incidents have taken place in the evening,” said Rajaram Joshi, a local fisherman who has saved several people in the past three years.

“The police control room or the municipal authorities said that as soon as they get to know about such incidents, we immediately reach the spot. I have rescued around 24 people in the past three years,” he said.

Even as the number of such incidents is increasing, the authorities have not taken any step to install CCTV cameras or deploy security guards near the bridge. The police have not kept a single speed boat for rescuing people near the bridge.

HT FILE Police sources said over 20 people jumped off the Vashi bridge to commit suicide in the last one year.