Fourth day on, the 43-year-old man who jumped off the Arabian Sea from the Bandra-Worli Sea Link on Thursday morning, continues to be missing.
Vinay Kumar Yadav, a Jogeshwari resident and a professional tourist cab driver, parked his Innova car on the sea link at around 3:45 am and then jumped into the sea. Police, along with the other authorities like coast guards started a search operation, while a helicopter and swimmers were also put into service to find Yadav – but they found nothing on Thursday and the following days, except for Sunday when the search operation was put on hold.
“At this point, the search operation is futile as by now the body must have reached the deepest parts of the sea. We faced many limitations during the search – mainly caused due to heavy rains that impact the flow and intensity of water (sea), high and low tide, and now the Ganpati visarjan rush on the coasts. The other challenge was how the rescue operation boats were unable to go deeper due to rocks. But for now, we have sought out other ways to locate the body,” said a senior police official.
Vinay Kumar Yadav | FPJ
All the coats, including Dadar, Shivaji Park, Mahim and Bandra, and on the South Mumbai side, at Tardeo and Girgaon – police of the respective jurisdictions have been put on alert about the possibility of the body washing off the coats. “The flow of water and its intensity can’t be measured, so we are covering all the possible ends to locate the body,” the official added.
More so, the fisherman community has been asked for assistance by the authorities. The locals will be coordinating with the cops, and the latter are positive that they will be successful in the next couple of days.
The Free Press Journal reported that on Friday that the Coast Guard had spotted the body at the far end for a few seconds. On Friday early money there was a low tide which is why the body surfaced and was spotted, however, the high tide followed intensifying the water flow which further drifted the body away.
Yadav’s family, his wife, and two children are still confused and shocked about the former’s extreme step. “They said Yadav, as usual, had his dinner with his wife and left for work. They said Yadav was an extremely happy man, and so were the other family members. Which makes them more confused about the reason why he took such an extreme step,” said the official, adding that they are now examining Yadav’s phone which he left in his vehicle before jumping off the bridge.
“His phone will be examined, and his work colleagues too, to know if there was an underlying matter, which he might have hidden from his family. Prima facie, there were no recent suspicious calls or messages received or made by Yadav, but the probe is on which will take its course after the body is recovered,” the official concluded.
