Pimpri-Chinchwad: Sonali Gaikwad, 23, wife of Nagesh Gaikwad, one of the nine workers killed in the Moshi garbage depot tragedy, died by suicide at her residence on Wednesday evening.
According to the police, Sonali died by hanging at around 7 pm on Wednesday. Her body was found at her residence in Moshi.
Assistant Commissioner of Police (MIDC Bhosari Division) Sudhakar Yadav said, “We have started further legal proceedings in the case. An Accidental Death Report (ADR) is being registered at the MIDC Bhosari Police Station.”
ACP Yadav said no suicide note has been found so far.
Police Inspector Ganesh Jamdar, who is in charge of the MIDC Bhosari Police Station, confirmed that Sonali Gaikwad had died by suicide. He said further proceedings were underway at Yashwantrao Chavan Memorial Hospital.
Sources said the post-mortem examination had not been completed as of Thursday afternoon, when this report was published. The inquest had already been conducted; however, officials avoided giving details about the death.
Sonali’s death comes just over a month after she lost her husband in the Moshi garbage depot tragedy.
Nagesh Sarjerao Gaikwad was among the workers trapped after a massive mound of waste collapsed onto the administrative building of the waste-to-energy facility at the Moshi garbage depot on 9th July.
Gaikwad, who was in his late 20s, was a resident of Sanjay Gandhi Nagar in Moshi. He had come to Pune from Georai tehsil in the Beed district in search of work. He had been working at the garbage depot for around three years.
Nagesh was among eight workers who remained trapped after the collapse. His body was recovered during the rescue operation on 11th July, nearly three days after the incident.
The 8th July incident occurred at around 1.30 pm when a massive waste mound collapsed onto the three-storey administrative building of the waste-to-energy project. A total of 23 workers were inside the building at the time.
Five workers managed to escape on their own, while rescue teams pulled nine others out alive. Nine workers died in the tragedy.
The rescue operation continued for nearly 84 hours. The final victim, Waman Kasbe, was recovered in the early hours of July 12. With his recovery, all 23 workers were accounted for, and the death toll stood at nine.
Nagesh’s death had left his family devastated. Reports from after the tragedy said he was survived by his wife Sonali, two young daughters and his parents. His family had also appealed to the authorities for employment support for his widow.
The latest death has added another tragedy to a family already hit by the Moshi disaster.
Police have not yet stated the reason behind Sonali’s death. They have also not found any suicide note so far. The exact circumstances leading to her death are likely to be examined as part of the ADR proceedings.
The MIDC Bhosari Police Station is conducting further investigation.
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