3 drown in Mumbra creek after failing to gauge depth

Thane: Three men drowned in Mumbra’s Retibunder Creek on Sunday evening after they entered the water for a swim and allegedly failed to gauge its depth, police said

Thane: Three men drowned in Mumbra’s Retibunder Creek on Sunday evening after they entered the water for a swim and allegedly failed to gauge its depth, police said. A fourth friend, who stayed out of the water, raised the alarm after seeing them struggle in the deep waters, triggering an hour-long search by disaster management teams.

The deceased have been identified as Aalam Sayyad, 42, Rizwan Sayyad, 42, and Sahil Polandas, 30. All three were residents of Thakurpada in Mumbra.

The fourth friend, Jakir Sheikh, 40, saw them struggling and alerted people nearby. They informed the Fire Brigade, following which rescue teams from the Thane Municipal Corporation’s Disaster Management Cell, TDRF and Fire Brigade, along with personnel from Narpoli and Kalwa police stations, reached the spot.

The bodies of the three men were recovered after about an hour.

Yasin Tadvi, in-charge of the Regional Disaster Management Cell (RDMC), told HT, “Our teams, with the help of the Fire Brigade, TDRF and local police, retrieved their bodies after an hour-long operation.”

Police said the families of the deceased did not suspect foul play. The fourth friend was also questioned and told investigators that the three had entered the creek but could not gauge its

Pratap Rao Bhosle, Senior Police Inspector, Kalwa, told HT, “The family members of the deceased informed us that they do not suspect any foul play in the matter. However, we are still investigating the case from other angles as well.”

The deaths have prompted fresh calls for safety measures at the spot, where locals say drowning and suicide cases have occurred in the past.

Local social worker Mohammad Zia Sayyad has urged the TMC to deploy security personnel and a lifeguard at the creek throughout the day.