27 June,2017 06:00 AM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondent
An 18-year-old boy had a miraculous escape after he jumped from the Ghatkopar metro station to avoid paying a penalty. The incident took place when the boy boarded the metro from Saki Naka
Mumbai metro rail
Representational Image
An 18-year-old boy had a miraculous escape after he jumped from the Ghatkopar metro station to avoid paying a penalty.
In a report by the Times Of India, the incident took place at 8:45pm on Sunday. Rajkumar, a tile-layer, originally from Orissa, claimed that he boarded the metro from Saki Naka to alight at Ghatkopar. On reaching Ghatkopar, he allegedly inserted the token into the slot at the exit gate, but the Automatic Fare Collection (AFC) gate did not open. As per sources, he then jumped over the AFC gate onto the non-ticketing section and was questioned by security personnel. He then jumped back inside the ticketing area where Metro personnel asked him to pay a fine.
Sources said that, as he was being taken to the customer care department, a drunk Rajkumar escaped and jumped from the concourse level, down to the road - which is approximately three floors down. As per a Metro official, "He jumped from the concourse level and people on the street immediately gathered around him (sic). With the help of Ghatkopar police, he was rushed to Rajawadi hospital at 9.15pm."
Surprisingly, Rajkumar's only injuries were a fractured knee and a deep gash on his chin. An employee of the hospital said that he was stable.
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When a Metro official was asked about why the gate did not open even though Rajkumar had a token, he said, "Rajkumar had bought a token for Ghatkopar but was roaming around at various metro stations. According to the rules, the journey has to be completed within one hour from the time of purchase of the token or else the token becomes invalid."
A resident of Borivili, Rajkumar said he was traveling to Ghatkopar to meet a relative. He later recanted his story and said he had gone to a Jagannath Rath Yatra festival being held at Saki Naka, Andheri.
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In a statement, a Mumbai Metro One spokesperson said, "At around 8.30pm, a man under the influence of alcohol was tailgating the AFC gate at Ghatkopar station. When the security personnel nabbed him and were taking him for questioning, he tried to escape and jumped from the concourse level to the road. We immediately called an ambulance and informed the police. The man is being treated in Rajawadi Hospital."
