The deceased, identified as Aslam Isak Shaikh (55), a resident of Yadav Nagar in Sakinaka, was returning home from work on Wednesday evening when he allegedly slipped into the open manhole amid heavy rain. He was reportedly speaking on his mobile phone moments before the accident occurred.
CCTV footage from a nearby hotel, reviewed by the police, allegedly shows civic workers carrying out operations at the site without installing barricades or warning signs, in clear violation of mandated safety norms. Immediately after the fall, workers at the site attempted to rescue Shaikh by lowering a ladder into the manhole; however, strong water currents obstructed the search and rescue effort. His umbrella and slippers were initially recovered from the site.
A joint operation involving the Mumbai Fire Brigade and other emergency agencies later traced Shaikh’s body in a stormwater drain near SJ Studio in Sakinaka at around 1 pm on Thursday. He was subsequently transported to Rajawadi Hospital, where doctors declared him dead.
Senior Inspector Avinash Mandle of the Sakinaka Police Station confirmed that the contractor involved in the work is absconding and that multiple police teams have been deployed to trace him. Three labourers have been detained for questioning, and investigators have indicated that additional individuals may be added to the case as the probe progresses.
The case has been registered under Section 106(1) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, which pertains to causing death by a rash or negligent act not amounting to culpable homicide, along with Section 3(5), relating to common intention. Authorities are examining the extent of negligence and accountability in the execution of the drainage work.
The tragedy comes less than 48 hours after another rain-related fatality in Mumbai, when an 11-year-old boy was killed after a tree collapsed on a school bus in Chembur. The consecutive incidents have intensified scrutiny of civic preparedness and safety enforcement during the monsoon season.
The latest incident underscores critical failures in urban safety management during heavy rainfall, raising urgent questions about accountability in public infrastructure maintenance and contractor supervision.
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