Six-month-old baby falls into nullah, gets swept away

After the accident, a few people jumped into the nallah but were unable to find the baby. Vaibhav Rane, a swimmer in the Shiv Sena disaster management force of Dombivli, reached the spot along with his team and the fire brigade after he got an SOS call

KALYAN: In a gruesome incident, a woman commuter travelling to Kalyan with her father and six-month-old baby girl lost her to the swirling waters of a nullah between Thakurli and Kalyan railway stations. The family, which had decided to get off and walk when the train stalled between the stations, was crossing the narrow pipes over the nullah when the baby suddenly slipped out of her grandfather’s grasp and was swept away. A search operation by the Kalyan Government Railway Police and fire brigade was on up to 7pm. NDRF team joined later but couldn’t do anything due to heavy rainfall.

Six-month-old baby falls into nullah, gets swept away

The woman, identified as Hyderabad resident Yogita Rumal, 30, was in Mumbai with her baby, Hrishita, for the latter’s treatment at KEM Hospital and was residing near Bhiwandi. A video shot by someone in the aftermath of the incident shows the perilous nature of the crossing. The hysterical mother is seen screaming and begging people to save her baby.

After the accident, a few people jumped into the nallah but were unable to find the baby. Vaibhav Rane, a swimmer in the Shiv Sena disaster management force of Dombivli, reached the spot along with his team and the fire brigade after he got an SOS call. “The woman and her father got down on the wrong side of the platform,” rued Rane. “They should have alighted on the other side.”

Rane says the team was horrified on hearing that a baby had fallen into the nullah. “One of our members saw a cloth stuck to a tree and jumped into the water, hoping he could find the baby,” he said. “But when he swam to the spot, it turned out to be a bag. Later, the fire brigade took over the operation.”

Raja Pogule, the younger brother of Yogita, said the baby had developed a urinary tract problem and was being treated at KEM Hospital. “My father and sister were coming back from the hospital when this happened,” he said. “My father is in despair. He saw everyone getting down on the track and followed them. We still can’t believe that this has happened. Our family is shattered.”

Senior police inspector Mohan Khandare, Dombivli GRP, said the incident happened at around 2.55pm. The woman left home from Bhiwandi around 7am and was returning home back in Ambernath-bound local train. “The fire brigade has been on the spot since 3pm, but have been unable to find the baby,” he said. “A National Disaster Response Force team also reached in the evening, but due to heavy rain and lack of light couldn’t complete the work. We will start looking for the baby again tomorrow. The nullah opens out into the creek, and the whole route will be searched.”