'Naveed risked his life to save us, he is the real hero'

Farida Pore

The residents of two wings of Tarique Garden in Mahad say they are indebted to 35-year-old Naveed Duste for alerting them and saving their lives minutes before the building came crashing down. According to them, his timely intervention and efforts to get the building evacuated brought down the casualties drastically.

Alerted residents

Speaking to mid-day, Samir Pore, 31, who was staying in a rented apartment in the B wing, said, "My mother Farida, 52, wife Afreen, 26, and two kids Azhar, 5, and Ziyan are alive today only because of Naveed. He risked his life to save them."

Samir recalled, "When the pillars of the car parking area started developing cracks, Naveed could feel the building shaking. He rushed to some of the flats in A wing and asked residents to vacate it. He even picked up some of the children and took them to a safe spot outside the building. Then he rushed to B wing and alerted the residents. He even asked my family to move to a safe place as he came down carrying an elderly woman."

"After Naveed returned to help my family and they reached the main exit, the building started to fall apart. In a bid to save my mother, he got trapped under a concrete slab. My mother suffered minor head injuries but Naveed's right leg had to be amputated," Samir added.

Panic moment

Another resident, Jasmin Bamne, who lived in the B wing, bought the flat in 2014. While her husband works abroad, her three children Nahal, Nouf, 14, Afnad, 11, and mother-in-law Kulsum Bamne, 75, used to stay with her in the flat.

Kulsum Bamne, who was brought down by Naveed

Jasmin recalled, "I was at the parking area when suddenly I saw the pillars falling apart one by one. I was about to rush out when I saw Naveed alerting the residents. He took a number of children and senior citizens to safety."

"I screamed and asked my children to immediately come down but then realised that my mother-in-law can't walk fast. Naveed spotted me and asked me not to worry. He said he would bring my mother-in-law down. He rushed upstairs and brought her down in his arms. He took her and my children to safety. Naveed is the real hero and we are sorry that his leg got amputated," added Jasmin.

Moved to safety

Sameer Kadvekar, whose sister was saved by Naveed

Another resident Sameer Kadvekar said, "Had it not been because of Naveed, my sister Anwari Fakir would not have been alive today. She was alone at her first floor flat in B wing when Naveed knocked on her door and asked her to move out of the building. She immediately left the flat and within minutes of her coming out, the building crashed."

Sameer, who runs a dry fruit shop nearby, called up his nephew Taufiq Ali, who was at the supermarket, and informed him that his mother Anwari was only at home and the building had crashed.

He further said, "There was dust all over the place and we could hear frantic cries of people. We looked for Anwari all over the place but couldn't find her. Then someone informed us about her location. She looked shocked, as they had lost their house and all belongings. But she said that it was only because of Naveed that she was alive."

Keep scrolling to read more news

Catch up on all the latest Mumbai news, crime news, current affairs, and a complete guide from food to things to do and events across Mumbai. Also download the new mid-day Android and iOS apps to get latest updates.

Mid-Day is now on Telegram. Click here to join our channel (@middayinfomedialtd) and stay updated with the latest news