19 year old stuck in drain for 2 days, rescued

After the BMC workers stepped inside the drain, and searched for 10 minutes, they spotted the young man lying in the drain

Mumbai: A 19-year-old man with autism who was stuck for the past two days in an open drain in Goregaon (east) was rescued by the Vanrai police and local municipal staff on Friday.

19 year old stuck in drain for 2 days, rescued

The police along with the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) staff rescued the young man from an open drain near a petrol pump at the Aarey Milk Colony signal. “The drain is open at one side and is around 20 feet deep,” said a police officer from the Vanrai police station.

Rajesh Nandimath, senior police inspector of Vanrai police station, said that the parents of the young adult had approached the police station on August 23 after they found him missing from the house in Bimbisar Nagar.

“His parents said that his entire day is based on a specific timetable. He ventures out of the house rarely and goes to nearby places only. On Tuesday when his parents did not find him in the vicinity, they immediately came to us,” said Nandimath.

After lodging a missing persons complaint, the police started searching the areas nearby Bimbisar Nagar in Goregaon but could not find the 19-year-old. The parents also looked for him in nearby hospitals, gardens and other public spots.

Nandimath said that later the officers scanned the CCTVs recordings on the Western Express Highway and other connected roads. “We then found him walking on the Eastern Express Highway and going towards the Aarey Milk Colony signal but after crossing the nearby petrol pump, we could not spot him on the CCTV footage.”

After the BMC workers stepped inside the drain, and searched for 10 minutes, they spotted the young man lying in the drain.

“We rescued the missing teenager who had suffered minor injuries but was covered in filth. We rushed him to the hospital as he was dehydrated and injured,” added Nandimath.