A taxi driver and four traffic cops displayed remarkable alertness and agility to save a 56-year-old woman who was about to fall into the Arabian Sea from Atal Setu, an official said on Saturday.
A visual of the dramatic rescue on the sea bridge, which connects south Mumbai to Navi Mumbai, has been widely shared on social media.
Around 7 pm on Friday, Mulund resident Reema Mukesh Patel reached Atal Setu in a taxi and stopped the vehicle on the Nhava Sheva side.
The official said she walked to the side crash barrier and sat on the railing.
In the viral video, the taxi driver can be seen standing close to her. Just then, a police patrolling vehicle pulls over. Seeing the cops, the woman seems to lose her sitting position and falls.
The taxi driver grabs the falling woman by her hair in a split second. As Patel hangs precariously, her body dangling, four traffic cops sprint and climb onto the railing, shows the video.
"One of the cops bent down and held her just in time, managing to save her," the official said.
The four cops then slowly pulled the woman up to safety, he said.
"The woman said she lost her balance in panic after seeing the police approach her. Nhava Sheva police are probing further," the official added.
However, the Mumbai police commissioner said in a post on X that the woman was rescued during a suicide attempt.
'Responding promptly to an attempt to die by suicide at MTHL Atal Setu, the on-duty officials, PN Lalit Shirsat, PN Kiran Mahtre, PC Yash Sonawane & PC Mayur Patil of @Navimumpolice jumped over the railing & rescued the individual saving her life.
'I request citizens to value the gift of life and not act on impulse in such circumstances. Never forget, your loved ones deserve better,' the commissioner said.
-- with inputs from agencies
