Constable from Dadar police station succumbs to COVID-19, death toll mounts to 13 in Mumbai police

Mumbai: A police constable attached to the Dadar police station, who would have turned 55 after a month to become eligible for exemption from duty, succumbed to COVID-19 infection on Tuesday evening. With the latest fatality, the coronavirus induced death toll in the Mumbai police has gone upto 13.

Constable Sharad Tukaram Mohite breathed his last in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) at the Nair Hospital following a week-long battle with the infection. He was 54 years and 11 months old at the time of his demise. Following an order of the state government last month, personnel of or above the age of 55 have been taken off duty in view of their vulnerability to contamination.

Senior Inspector Divakar Shelke of Dadar police station said that Mohite, who lived with his family in the Kishan Nagar area of Thane, had been posted on Bandobast duty in the Peter Mobile van of the Dadar police station at the Worli Koliwada area. The area falls under the Red Zone for the large spread of coronavirus.

While on duty he developed cold and fever following which swab samples were taken for COVID-19 test on May 20. On May 22, the test reports came positive following which he was admitted for treatment at the Marol Police Training School dispensary. However, when his condition did not improve, he was shifted to the COVID care facility at the NSCI Club at Worli on May 23. When his condition deteriorated further and he developed breathing problems, he was shifted to Ward No 18 at the Nair Hospital on May 24.

On May 26, he developed severe breathing problems and following the receipt of the information, senior officers alerted the BMC officials and Mohite was shifted to the ICU. He was pronounced dead in the evening.

With Mohite's demise, the death toll in the city police due to COVID-19 has moved to 13 while the state figures climbed to 21.

The positive figures in Mumbai police crossed the 1,150 mark on Wednesday while the state figures inched closer to the 2,000 mark with 1,964 cases by the afternoon.