Mumbai: A 43-year-old man, resident of Nalasopara East was saved by two police personnel after he jumped off the Vasai creek railway bridge on Sunday evening to end his life.
The man, identified as Pradeep Udayraj Upadhyay took the step due to constant taunts and insults about him being unemployed for six years.
According to the Navghar police, the incident occurred around 6.30pm, when the police control room received a call from a railway commuter, alerting them of a man jumping off the railway bridge near the Bhayander end of the creek.
The police control room transmitted the information to the Navghar police, who then alerted their staff — constable Suresh Koyande and Sandeep Shirsath, who were on coastal patrolling along the creek at that time.
The constables took a speedboat of the Maharashtra police and within minutes after the incident, reached the spot mentioned by the railway commuter. They saw a man struggling to keep afloat and pulled him out of the water.
Koyande said they gave him first-aid as well as Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR). “The man was having trouble breathing as water had entered his lungs. We performed CPR on him and tried removing water from his lungs, and stabilised him within a few minutes,” said Koyande.
Upadhyay is a resident of Alkapuri area in Nalasopara East. The officials said that he was taken to the Navghar police station and his brother Rupesh (42) was informed about the incident.
“After counselling Upadhyay, we learnt that he was unemployed for the past six years and was being insulted by his family members for being a non-earning member of the house. Tired of the taunts and insults, Upadhyay had decided to take the extreme step,” said a police officer from Navghar police station.
The officer further said that Upadhyay had travelled by train from Nalasopra to Bhayander. After getting off at Bhayander railway station, he walked to the railway bridge and jumped into the creek.
The police allowed the man to return home after the counselling session.
Incidentally, the Bhayander creek is near the spot of the incident, where the Vasai and Delhi police conducted a search operation to find Shraddha Walkar’s mobile phone, which was thrown by her alleged killer and live-in partner Aaftab Poonawala.
(If you need support or know someone who does, please reach out to a mental health specialist.) Helplines: Aasra: 022 2754 6669; Sneha India Foundation: +914424640050 and Sanjivini: 011-24311918