Mumbai: Good Samaritan reunites Irani national, 75, with kin

Dilip Shetty, who helped reunite the lost septuagenarian with his kin, at Borivli on Friday. Pic/Anurag Ahire

Waterlogging in and around Mumbai has been causing serious problems for residents, even claiming lives. One such tragedy was averted on Thursday when 49-year-old Dilip Shetty helped a 75-year-old Irani national return to Dadar Parsi Colony - where he is staying with his nephew - from Dahisar Check Naka after the senior citizen had lost his way at the flooded spot.

It was the kindness of a stranger that brought the senior citizen, who wishes to remain unnamed, to Shetty, a wine shop owner. "Someone was walking with him at Dahisar Check Naka and stopped the autorickshaw I was in. This was around 3 pm. He [the senior citizen] was confused and disoriented. He didn't have a phone," Shetty recalled.

The family of the septuagenarian told mid-day that he and a few other relatives were on their way back to the city from Palghar when one of their worst nightmares unfolded near Thakur Mall in Dahisar East.

Shahram, the elderly man's nephew, said, "They were in their private car, but there was a lot of traffic due to the heavy rains" On the way, Shahram's uncle urgently needed to answer nature's call. "The car was halted, and he got off to relieve himself but he couldn't find his way back," he added.

According to Shetty, the senior citizen could neither communicate in Hindi nor English. "The only words he knew were ‘Dadar Parsi Colony'," he said.

While the senior citizen wanted to take a taxi, given the situation, Shetty thought it would be best to opt for a local train from Borivli. "There was so much waterlogging and traffic that it took us three hours to reach the station," he said.

To ensure the septuagenarian made his way back properly, Shetty instructed a fellow passenger to make sure he alighted at the right station.

In the meantime, the family was in turmoil. "It was one of the worst days of our lives," said the 75-year-old's wife, who was in the car with him when he got out. "We had even approached the police for help," she added.

There was a sigh of relief when the senior citizen reached the colony around 7.30 pm, which is when Shahram called Shetty to repay him the R200 that he spent on getting the senior citizen to the colony.

"I didn't take it, of course. The family got my number from the visiting card I had given the elderly man. This was to ensure he had my number in case any further help was needed," Shetty said.

Meanwhile, Dilip Dhole, the commissioner of Mira Bhayander Municipal Corporation, said, "The city gets waterlogged when there's high tide. There was 250 mm of rainfall on Thursday. The high tide subsided by 9 pm, and the city was back to normal after that."

July 27
Day incident occurred