40-year-old woman found dead in mall in Bhandup

MUMBAI: A 40-year-old woman was found dead in a mall's waterlogged basement; police suspect drowning and are investigating her circumstances.

MUMBAI: The Bhandup police have registered an accidental death report (ADR) after a 40-year-old woman was found dead in the waterlogged basement of a mall in Bhandup. The police said prima facie it looked like the woman died of drowning. However, they are investigating how she turned up at the mall and have detained her friend for questioning.

Mumbai, India - March 27, 2021: Police are seen investigating outside the Dreams Mall the next day of the fire in Bhandup, Mumbai, India, on Saturday, March 27, 2021. ( Praful Gangurde / HT Photo ) (HT PHOTO)

According to the police, on Tuesday morning, they were informed about a woman’s body floating in the water in the basement of the Dreams Mall at L B S Marg, Bhandup West.

The police said they took the woman to Mulund General Hospital where she was declared dead.

“Later in our investigation, the woman was identified as Manisha Gaikwad Bhise, 40. We are waiting for the post-mortem report to know the cause of her death. The Dream Mall has been shut since several years. Since its closure, the premises have turned into a haven for vagrants and anti-social elements,” said a police officer.

In 2021 the Bhandup police had booked Housing Development and Infrastructure Ltd (HDIL) promoters Rakesh Wadhawan and his son Sarang, who are directors of the mall, after nine patients who were admitted in a hospital on the top floor had died because of a fire in the building.

The case against them was registered under IPC sections 304 (culpable homicide not amounting to murder) and 34 (common intention), the Bhandup police station official said.

“In the probe conducted so far, police found several lapses in the mall. There was security mismanagement and the fire safety equipment was not checked timely,” he added.