32-yr-old woman jumps off Vashi bridge, rescued

A 32-year-old woman tried to end her life by jumping off the Vashi bridge, but was saved by local fishermen who handed her over to traffic constables at 2pm on Monday.

Police said the woman, Rekha Parmeshwari, a Juinagar resident, was rushed to MGM hospital, Vashi, where she has been recuperating. Parmeshwari is stable and out of danger. Her statement is yet to be recorded. Parmeshwari was standing on the bridge’s verge when the fishermen spotted her after they reached ashore postfishing. One Sachin Bhoir, also a rescuer, dissuaded Parmeshwari from taking the extreme step, but in vain.

Bhoir launched a boat while another fisherman alerted traffic constables at the bridge. Bhoir told FPJ: “We tried to stop the woman, but she ignored our pleas and jumped into the water. When we rescued her, she was unconscious and hardly breathing. Traffic constables rushed her to the MGM Hospital.”

Nitin Gite, the inspector of Vashi police station, said no case has been filed as Parmeshwari is yet to record her statement. “No suicide note was recovered. Parmeshwari’s family was informed when her identity was established. The doctors declared her medically unfit for the statement and kept her under observation. Appropriate action will be taken after the statement,” said Gite.

The old Vashi bridge, connecting Mumbai to Navi Mumbai, is gaining a reputation for becoming the city’s suicide point. It is just a 5minute drive or a boat trip for the fishermen and rescuers. The local fishermen have saved 43 from drowning in this dangerous creek over the last three years.