Saving a life

When 90-year-old Eruch Balsara residing in Matunga did not answer the repeated knocking and ringing of the doorbell, his family became anxious. "Initially, I thought my uncle could be sleeping,” his nephew Shahrukh Marolia who was carrying food for his relative, informed the Daily News and Analysis (DNA) of May 4, 2018 "but when he did not open the door even after repeated calls, I became a bit worried.” Marolia and Balsara’s niece, Nazneen Marolia, then approached the Matunga police station.
Duty officer Urmila Kirdat wasted no time. She rushed to the spot along with a mobile van after alerting the fire brigade, the DNA reported. "We tried to open the main door of the first floor flat, but it wouldn’t budge,” Kirdat was quoted in the report. "The fire brigade then broke open the kitchen grill, entered the flat and opened the main door,” she said. They found Balsara unconscious on the sofa in the hall, but breathing.
"It took more than three hours to break open the layers of paddocks and grills and complex locking systems before we could enter,” said Nazneen. "It was critical to rush him to his regular medical support system in South Bombay.”
"I kept calling the ambulance but it did not come,” said Kirdat. "We were supposed to go to Sion Hospital but the family said they knew doctors at Breach Candy Hospital and asked us for help.” Three constables, including the driver and Kirdat took it upon themselves to escort Balsara to Breach Candy Hospital, where the ailing senior citizen was revived.