On spotting a dog drowning in the ocean, the 41-year-old Lokhandwala-based businessman jumped in to rescue it, without a thought for his own life, both him and the pooch never made it out alive
Nitin Shenoy (left) with his friend, Romi Arora, in Dubai. Pic/Facebook
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It wasn't even his pet, but when this 41-year-old businessman saw a dog drowning in the sea off the coast of Dubai, he didn't think twice before jumping to its rescue. Tragically, he never made it out alive, and by all accounts, neither did the dog.
A resident of Lokhandwala, Andheri (W), Nitin Shenoy was the founder of the IT company, Tejora Technologies Limited. He frequently went to Dubai for business and had friends there. On the night of April 9, when the incident took place, Nitin was staying in a plush sea-facing bungalow at Palm Jumeirah. He was at a meeting with some business associates and got up for a stroll a few minutes later. Along the beach, he spotted a dog drowning and jumped in to save it.
A friend in need
A close friend of Nitin's said, "We have learnt that the dog belonged to a friend of Nitin's, who was also walking along the sea shore, when her dog suddenly ran into the sea. She requested Nitin to rescue the dog, who willingly jumped in. But, the strong currents pulled Nitin deep into the sea. It was her screams for help that alerted others, but by the time help arrived, it was too late." In the ensuing chaos, no one knows what became of the dog.
At the time of the incident, his wife Surabhi, who is also the executive director (operations) of Tejora, was in Mumbai. She flew out to Dubai immediately. "Nitin loved dogs. There was a lot of panic and nobody can tell for sure what happened to the dog," she said.
"Nitin did know how to swim, but only swam in a pool, not so much in the ocean," she said.
The Al Barsha police arrived at the spot with divers, who pulled Nitin out of the water and rushed him to Al Maktoum Hospital, where he was declared dead. The body was later sent for a post-mortem, and the cause of death was confirmed as drowning.
A police officer at Al Barsha police station confirmed the incident and said, "As a matter of policy, we have informed the office of the Consulate General of India at Al Hamriya, Dubai, about the death, you may contact them."
The police recorded the statements of every person present in the house that night, to rule out any foul play. Surabhi's statement was recorded, and she was shown the passports of some of the visitors present at Nitin's bungalow that night. She knew all of them and ruled out any possibility of foul play.
The family had to face more challenges before they could bring the body home for the last rites, as the UAE authorities did not release the body until April 13, after all formalities were over.
Remembering Nitin
"I have been with Nitin for 25 years, and we were married for more than 16. I do not know how to live without him. There is nothing worse than a 75-year-old father completing the last rites of his son," said Surabhi.
mid-day contacted Nitin's friend from Dubai, Romi Arora, who is part of the group of friends co-ordinating the formalities to bring the body to India.
He refused to comment but posted on his Facebook page: "I feel so lost without you, thank you for all that you did for me brother. Hope you are in a better place…"
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