The incident took place around 3 am in the Dhobi ghat area below a viewing gallery near Mahalaxmi railway station.A 65-year-old homeless woman, sleeping on a cement platform near Dhobi ghat next to the Mahalaxmi railway station, died on Saturday after falling down three feet when two persons, including a 15-year-old boy, allegedly tried to snatch her bag in a robbery bid. The bag, however, got stuck in her neck, throwng her off the platform.
The police have arrested one of the accused and sent the juvenile to an observation home.
The incident took place around 3 am in the Dhobi ghat area below a viewing gallery near Mahalaxmi railway station. The woman, identified as Sharda Waghmare), used to sleep on a small cement platform below viewing deck for visitors who come to see Dhobi ghat.
The accused, Shubham alias Pandit Chaube (28) and the boy, were strolling in the area when they saw the bag next to Sharda, who was fast asleep. They decided to steal the bag. “The two pulled the bag. However, it got entangled in Sharda’s neck. She fell down three feet injuring her head. We got to know about it an hour later from a passerby who contacted police control room,” said an officer from Agripada police station. “A police team rushed Sharda to the nearby Nair hospital where she was declared dead on arrival due to head injuries,” said Yogendra Pache, senior police inspector.
Initially, police thought it was an accidental death but when they checked CCTV footage from a camera 20 metres away, they realised she died during a robbery attempt. “We then checked more cameras to find the accused,” said police sub-inspector Sandip Galange. Police showed footage to informers and one of them identified Chaube, who has a past criminal record.Chaube informed police about involvement of the boy.
Sharda’s daughter, who lives in Wardha, was informed and she claimed her mother’s body.