'Naveed risked his life to save us, he is the real hero'

The residents of two wings of Tarique Garden in Mahad say they are indebted to 35yearold Naveed Duste for alerting them and saving their lives minutes before the building came crashing down According to them his timely intervention and efforts to get the building evacuated brought down the casualties drasticallyAlerted residentsSpeaking to midday Samir Pore 31 who was staying in a rented apartment in the B wing said My mother Farida 52 wife Afreen 26 and two kids Azhar 5 and Ziyan are alive today only because of Naveed He risked his life to save themSamir recalled When the pillars of the car parking area started developing cracks Naveed could feel the building shaking He rushed to some of the flats in A wing and asked residents to vacate it He even picked up some of the children and took them to a safe spot outside the building Then he rushed to B wing and alerted the residents He even asked my family to move to a safe place as he came down carrying an elderly womanAfter Naveed returned to help my family and they reached the main exit the building started to fall apart In a bid to save my mother he got trapped under a concrete slab My mother suffered minor head injuries but Naveeds right leg had to be amputated Samir addedPanic momentAnother resident Jasmin Bamne who lived in the B wing bought the flat in 2014 While her husband works abroad her three children Nahal Nouf 14 Afnad 11 and motherinlaw Kulsum Bamne 75 used to stay with her in the flatKulsum Bamne who was brought down by NaveedJasmin recalled I was at the parking area when suddenly I saw the pillars falling apart one by one I was about to rush out when I saw Naveed alerting the residents He took a number of children and senior citizens to safetyI screamed and asked my children to immediately come down but then realised that my motherinlaw cant walk fast Naveed spotted me and asked me not to worry He said he would bring my motherinlaw down He rushed upstairs and brought her down in his arms He took her and my children to safety Naveed is the real hero and we are sorry that his leg got amputated added JasminMoved to safetySameer Kadvekar whose sister was saved by NaveedAnother resident Sameer Kadvekar said Had it not been because of Naveed my sister Anwari Fakir would not have been alive today She was alone at her first floor flat in B wing when Naveed knocked on her door and asked her to move out of the building She immediately left the flat and within minutes of her coming out the building crashedSameer who runs a dry fruit shop nearby called up his nephew Taufiq Ali who was at the supermarket and informed him that his mother Anwari was only at home and the building had crashedHe further said There was dust all over the place and we could hear frantic cries of people We looked for Anwari all over the place but couldnt find her Then someone informed us about her location She looked shocked as they had lost their house and all belongings But she said that it was only because of Naveed that she was aliveKeep scrolling to read more newsCatch up on all the latest Mumbai news crime news current affairs and a complete guide from food to things to do and events across Mumbai Also download the new midday Android and iOS apps to get latest updates MidDay is now on Telegram Click here to join our channel middayinfomedialtd and stay updated with the latest news