Panic as unidentified body found opposite BMC headquarters

Police say man seemed like a beggar; claim no hospital was willing to send an ambulance to pick up the body; it will now be tested for COVID-19

Panic as unidentified body found opposite BMC headquarters

BMC staff disinfecting themselves after sanitising the area around a dead body found lying in front of Canon Pavbhaji Centre at CSMT. Pic/Suresh Karkera

The death of an unknown person on the footpath in front of the BMC headquarters at CSMT created panic as civic officials and the police suspected the man had died of Coronavirus. Amid the panic, it took around seven hours for the officials to remove his body from the site.

Around 12.30 pm on Thursday, a person called up the police control room informing them about having spotted a man lying on the streets and that he was having difficulty breathing.

The control room informed the Azad Maidan police who rushed to the spot and called for an ambulance and. A doctor arrived and declared the man dead, but could not transport him to the hospital as the ambulance did not have the Personal Protective Equipment (PPE).

Police then alerted the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) and the civic officials arrived at the scene around 4.30 pm and sprayed disinfectant around the body. Finally, after 7 pm, the body was sent to a hospital.

An officer of the Azad Maidan police station said the body will be tested first for Coronavirus and then kept in the morgue. The deceased was seemingly a beggar and was found in just his pants, police said.

An Azad Maidan police officer told mid-day, "After getting the call from the control, we called an ambulance and the doctor declared the person dead, after which we kept calling hospitals but no ambulance came from anywhere. We finally picked up the body and dropped it off at GT Hospital."

Azad Maidan Senior Police Inspector Vasant Wakhare told mid-day on Thursday, "We have sent his body to the hospital for testing."

Catch up on all the latest Mumbai news, crime news, current affairs, and also a complete guide on Mumbai from food to things to do and events across the city here. Also download the new mid-day Android and iOS apps to get latest updates