Mumbai: Woman falls into open hole in posh Bandra building, dies of suffocation

The sewer pipe opening where the deceased was sitting before she fell into it

A 41-year-old woman died after she fell into an open sewer pipe inside a high-rise society at Bandra East late on Tuesday evening. The fire brigade and police rushed to the scene and after an hour of search she was removed from the drainage line. The Kherwadi police registered an Accidental Death Report (ADR).

However, they have not registered a case for negligence against those responsible.

Nipurna Shrivastava was a resident of Hubtown Sunstone society in Bandra East where the incident took place

The woman was identified as Nipurna Shrivastava, a resident of Hubtown Sunstone society near MIG club at Bandra East where the incident happened. Police said she was living with her nine-year-old daughter.

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The accident

According to the police the incident took place on Tuesday at 6.30 pm. After her evening walk, Shrivastava sat for a rest near the drainage line where people park bikes. They said she sat near the opening of the sewer pipeline and was continuously talking on the phone. The police said she suddenly fell in, probably after losing her balance. A labourer who saw her fall rushed to save her but couldn't see her. He immediately informed the security guards and society members. The drainage line is 15 feet deep, said cops.

Society members immediately called the fire brigade and police. The rescuers brought her out after an hour and she was rushed to a local hospital where she was declared dead before admission. The police sent her body to Cooper hospital for postmortem and handed it to family members for last rites.

A woman from the society told mid-day, "This is due to pure negligence of the society and committee members. They should be booked and punished. Shrivastava worked in a bank as manager and stayed with her 9-year-old daughter. Who will take care of her now?"

‘Checking CCTV cameras'

Senior Inspector Rajendra Mulik of Kherwadi police station said, "We received a call on Tuesday evening about a woman who fell into an open sewer hole inside a society. We also informed the fire brigade. After we removed her from the pipe, we rushed her to a hospital but she was declared dead. We have registered an Accidental Death Report (ADR) in this case. We are also checking CCTV cameras of the society to find who is responsible for the incident. This drainage line is 15 feet deep."