Missing teen fell off Naigaon railway bridge into creek

Cops under the Naigaon railway bridge

A teenager, who was missing since Thursday afternoon, fell from Naigaon railway bridge into the creek while walking on the railway tracks from Naigaon to Bhayandar, on Friday afternoon. The 19-year-old woman's relative Sandeep Kharat, who was accompanying her, nosedived into the creek to rescue her but to no avail. Hearing the commotion in the creek, the patrolling staff of Manikpur police station alerted local fishermen who fished Sandeep out but Komal Dhanke could not be traced at the time of going to the press.

Sandeep Kharat, a relative of the missing woman, had jumped in the creek to save her, but was later rescued by fishermen. Pics/Hanif Patel

"Sandeep told us that they did not have money. So they were walking along the railway tracks from Naigaon to Bhayandar even after our patrolling staff tried to stop them," said Bhausaheb Aher, senior inspector, Manikpur police station in Vasai.

"According to Sandeep, Komal felt dizzy and fell off the bridge… He said he jumped in to rescue her as he knew how to swim. He was rescued with the help of fishermen," Aher told mid-day. Sandeep was then rushed to a nearby hospital in Vasai where he is recuperating.

Aher said, "Our efforts are on to trace the woman." He added, "The boy is a resident of Aurangabad and the girl lives with her parents in Ulhasnagar. They are relatives. We are yet to find out why they had come on the railway bridge." When asked if it was a suicide attempt, Aher said, "It is premature to comment on this as our priority is to trace the missing woman."

Manikpur police have alerted the family members of Dhanke in Ulhasnagar. Her mother has filed a missing person complaint, saying Komal left home on Thursday afternoon and did not return. Madhukar Kad, senior inspector of Central police station in Ulhasnagar, said, "We are in touch with our counterparts in Vasai for updates."