Search on for renowned gastroenterologist of Bombay Hospital, Dr. Deepak Amarapurkar, who went missing near Elphinstone Road station following heavy rains which lashed out in Mumbai
Dr Deepak Amrapurkar
More than 24 hours since Dr Deepak Amrapurkar, well-known gastroenterologist, 'disappeared' from near Lower Parel-Elphinstone area, the searchlights are still on. A shocked medical fraternity ironically hopes for miraculous news.
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On Tuesday afternoon Dr Amrapurkar left his workplace at Bombay Hospital and left for his Prabhadevi home in his car with his driver. He reached close to Elphinstone-Lower Parel after which he decided to get out of his car and walk home, telling his driver to bring the car home, whenever he could. He has not been found since.
The search is on for Dr Deepak Amrapurkar who may have fallen into an open manhole opposite India Bulls 1 building during the Tuesday flood. Cameras and divers are being used in the search operation. Pic/Suresh Karkera
Dr Amrapurkar's colleague, Dr Prashant Kerkar, surgical oncologist from Bombay Hospital said, "We had lunch in the Hospital cafeteria on Tuesday, after which Dr Amrapurkar said that he was leaving for home. Some of us did try to tell him to wait till things got better, but maybe, he thought things were settling down and left for home. I heard that he did call his wife, who is a doctor, saying he was going to walk home. There is no news after that."
No ring on mobile
Dr Kerkar said he heard that, "he fell into a manhole and some people were shouting trying to warn him not to walk there but maybe, he could not hear them in all the confusion. His phone has not been ringing. We have been trying since 2 am (Wednesday morning) all through. We have checked all hospitals. We are hoping against hope."
The doc, who says he was "close to Dr Amrapurkar, we interacted on a lot of patients together," is angry that a manhole was left open. "The BMC has to be held accountable for this. There is no use saying that this is a city of millions and difficult to control in such situations. It is like telling a doctor you have treated 100 patients, so it is okay if you make a mistake with one. There is no logic to leaving manholes open, even on such days, it is absolutely ridiculous," stated the oncologist who added that nearly all city hospitals had been checked too in the search.
We are still looking
Dr Amrapurkar was carrying an iPhone with him. Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) Sunil Deshmukh said the search for the doctor was still on at the time of going to press.
Top gastrointestinal surgeon, Dr Bryan Sodder from Holy Family Hospital in Bandra said that, "rumours were flying about all of Wednesday, with wrong messages on the WhatsApp too, in the absence of any real information. We are hoping against hope. Dr Amrapurkar was the mover and shaker behind conferences with reference to gastroenterology. Every year, the USA holds an event called 'Digestive Disease Week' Immediately after that annual event, on Saturday-Sunday, we the Indian gastroenterologists meet to discuss the prize winning papers, Dr Amrapurkar used to be very actively involved in that."
Like everyone, Dr Sodder too, hopes the long search will bring some happy news. "I believe divers too have been deployed to look for Dr Amrapurkar," he ended.
We are praying
A relative said yesterday, "We have been advised not to speak to the media at this stage, but all I can confirm is Dr Amrapurkar continues to be missing."
Dr Ashish Tiwari, former colleague of Dr Amrapurkar at Bombay Hospital said, "He (Amrapurkar) was one of the best in his field. I am shocked to learn about his missing status, we pray for his safety."
Earlier on Wednesday, Deshmukh scotched rumours that a body had been found in Thane, believed to be that of Dr Amrapurkar. "That is wrong information," he said.
Chief Fire Officer and Director State Fire Services, Prabhat Rahangdale said, "Our rescue team was rushed to the spot on Tuesday midnight, but we could not make any headway because of water logging. Manholes at different parts of the city were left open for the water to recede. Our fire engine and firemen are at the spot, where some locals claimed they spotted a man falling into the manhole (believed to be Dr Amrapurkar), another team is at the Worli end, near the opening to the sea, where we are searching," ended Rahangdale.
Inputs by Vinod Kumar Menon
Also see: Mumbai Rains photos: Heavy showers drown city
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