Mumbai: In a second incident in a week, a 65-year-old diamond merchant from South Mumbai allegedly died by suicide by jumping into the Arabian sea near the Gateway of India on Sunday morning. Bhavesh Nagin Seth, a businessman living in Ghatkopar had ended his life on July 17 by jumping off the Worli-Bandra sea link. He was reportedly depressed after incurring huge losses in business.
Around 7 a.m. on Sunday, Sanjay Shantilal Shah, who was living with his wife, son, daughter in law and grandchildren at Sheela Apartments, Bhulabhai Desai Road, Mahalaxmi, left his apartment informing his wife that he was going for a walk. According to the Colaba police, instead of going for a walk, Shah hailed a taxi and asked the cabbie to drive him the Worli-Bandra sea link.
When the cab reached the sea link, Shah asked the driver to halt the vehicle since he wanted to immerse certain pooja-related articles into the sea. The cabbie refused since halting on the sea link was disallowed. He told Shah he would be fined heavily by the traffic police if he halted the cab on the sea link which was well covered by CCTV cameras. On more than one occassion, Shah insisted that the driver stop the vehicle, but the latter stubbornly refused.
Shah then asked the cabbie to drive him to the Gateway of India. The cab reached Gateway of India by 9.30 a.m. The businessman paid the cabbie and soon enough jumped into the choppy sea. A shocked man who witnessed the incident immediately alert the police control room. A team comprising personnel from Mumbai police and the fire brigade reached the spot from where Shah had jumped into the sea.
The businessman later asked the driver to take him to Gateway of India where he reached around 9.30 am and jumped into the sea. Said a police officer: "The huge waves made rescue efforts difficult. After considerable efforts, the rescue team managed to pull him out of the rough sea and rushed him to St George's Hospital near the General Post Office. However, Shah was declared dead before admission." No suicide note was found.
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The Colaba police registered a case of accidental death. The family reportedly informed the police that Shah, who was suffering from high diabetes and blood pressure, was in a state of depression following heavy losses in business. He had his office at the Bandra Kurla Complex. The police are investigating.
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