Mumbai scooterist’s neck slashed by kite string on Andheri flyover

Kadam’s blood-stained scooter that cops have parked at the Andheri traffic chowkie (right) A traffic police officer holds the deadly manja removed from the spot following the mishap

Bharat Kadam, a 45-year-old Borivli resident and scooterist, was seriously injured by manja on the Andheri flyover while riding to his workplace in Santacruz on Wednesday afternoon. While Kadam sustained deep cuts to either side of his neck, his windpipe was, fortunately, spared. He is undergoing treatment at VN Desai Hospital in Santacruz East. The Andheri police have seized the manja, which was entangled around a light pole.

Kadam's brother, Santosh, told mid-day, "My brother resides with his wife and children in Borivli. He is employed by a private firm and travels to his office daily by two-wheeler. On Wednesday, he left home after lunch around 1.30 pm. About half an hour later, when he was on the Andheri flyover, manja slashed his neck. He called his wife and me himself to inform us about the accident."

The 43-year-old is examined by medical professionals at VN Desai hospital in Santacruz East. Pics/Shirish Vaktania

"The kite string appeared to be green Chinese manja, which is difficult to cut. Despite being injured, my brother caught an autorickshaw and rushed to the hospital," Santosh added. Dr Sanket Irnak, who works at the casualty ward of VN Desai hospital, said, "The patient was admitted around 2.30 pm. Plastic surgeons and other doctors examined him. The cuts on both sides of his neck are deep, but the windpipe was not damaged. Multiple stitches were required. The patient's BP was normal, and he is stable and out of danger."

A traffic police officer said, "We removed all the manja from the flyover. We took Kadam's bike from the spot and parked it at Andheri traffic chowkie. We also informed the Andheri police about the incident and handed over the manja to them for further investigation."