The body of a 19-year-old girl, who drowned in an open drain in Goregaon on Tuesday night, was recovered early on Wednesday. The Bangur Nagar police said prima facie, her death seems to have been a suicide.
Komal Mandal was a resident of the Bhagat Singh Nagar, which is close to the open drain. The fire brigade received a call about the incident around 8.30 p.m. on Tuesday and rushed a team to the spot.
A senior fire brigade officer said, “We entered the nullah using boats and on foot. Since it was high tide, we went as far as we could. The nullah meets the sea at Versova. The locals also helped us. Since we did not find the girl, we started looking around the spot where the incident had occurred.”
The officer said the body was recovered not far from the spot around 3.30 a.m. on Wednesday, as the water had receded. It was taken to Shatabdi Hospital in Kandivali.
“It seems the girl took her own life. We are investigating the reason for it. Her family has not been able to provide any motive for her extreme step. Mandal used to work in a battery manufacturing unit in Oshiwara, and is survived by her parents, three younger sisters and a brother,” senior police inspector Shobha Pise, Bangur Nagar police station, said.
Bhushan Kumar Malhotra, a nearby resident, said there was no way Komal could have accidentally fallen into the nullah, as it has a high steel railing around it.
The police have registered an accidental death report.
Meanwhile, a group of journalists visiting the area to speak to the Mandal family on Tuesday night was allegedly manhandled by local residents. Police officials said the reporters were leaving the Mandal residence, when eight to nine men accosted them and started insisting that they be interviewed as well. The men allegedly said they wanted to highlight the delay on the part of the authorities in responding to the situation.
“When the journalists told the men they could not be interviewed as they were not directly related to the deceased, the men shoved the journalists and dragged them out of the area physically. We have registered a case against unidentified persons and are conducting further inquiries in the matter,” Ms. Pise said.