70-yr-old lady’s body found in 7th-floor duct in Mumbai

MUMBAI: A 70-year-old woman’s body was found stuck in the duct of a 20-storey upscale tower in Chandivli on Saturday. The police said Laxmi Rout may have fallen off the 15th floor of Maple Leaf’s G Wing at Raheja Vihar, where she stayed on the 17th floor with her husband Dukhiya, son Krishnachand, daughter-in-law Rupali and a grandchild. No suicide note was found.

“The body was stuck in the duct on the seventh floor,” said deputy commissioner of police (zone X) Navinchandra Reddy. The family learnt about Laxmi’s death when the help of a family living on the seventh-floor informed them.

The family suspects suicide and said Laxmi was under treatment for hypertension and arthritis.

The police said a case of accidental death has been registered. Though the family has not lodged any complaint, the police are probing whether it was a fall or a suicide.

The incident occurred between 10am and 10.30am when the family was getting ready to go to Jagannath temple in Sakinaka and Dukhiya suddenly found Laxmi missing from the house. Krishnachand (42), a banker, said, “At 9am, my father saw my mother after she took a bath. But around 10am, he could not find her in the house. Minutes later, a domestic help rang our doorbell and informed us that my mother was found in the duct on the seventh floor in another wing.”

An office-bearer of the housing society said, “The family came to know only after we heard a loud sound and found the body. We do not know whether the water pipeline got damaged after she fell off. Fire brigade personnel removed the body and the society is cooperating with the police.”

Rupali told TOI: “We are yet to gain clarity on what really happened. My husband has gone to the hospital. We wanted to go for Rath Yatra at the Saki Naka temple. I was feeding my son and my father-in-law had just finished his prayers when a domestic help from the seventh floor of another wing told me that my mother-in-law was stuck in the duct.” She said the duct where Laxmi’s body was found was close to the stairs near their house.

A neighbour said, “Laxmi was very warm. She was waiting for her elder son and daughter to come from their native town in Odisha. I met her yesterday and she said she was really happy and excited to see them and her grandchildren.”

Inspector Bharat Deshmukh said, “She might have jumped from a higher floor as there are blood stains on the ledge of the 15th floor and her body was found stuck on the 7th floor. The fire brigade removed the body and sent it to Rajawadi hospital. She had suffered multiple head injuries due to the fall. There was talk of foul play but there is no such complaint from her family.”

The police are also probing to check if Laxmi showed any suicidal tendencies.