Mumbai: Two more policemen succumb to COVID-19, toll mounts to 8 – Mumbai Mirror

Mumbai:Two more policemen from the Mumbai police succumbed to coronavirus in the last 24 hours, taking the number of fatalities in the force to eight. The state police fatality figures have gone up to 11.

57-year-old Assistant Sub-Inspector Madhukar Mane, who was attached to the Motor Transport (MT) department of the Mumbai police in Agripada, breathed his last at a hospital on Friday night after battling with the deadly virus for a week. Mane, who worked as a driver, had been taken off duty following the Home department’s directive not to deploy personnel of or above the age of 55 on the job keeping in mind their vulnerability to infection. Mane developed symptoms while at home since the past 15 days, a senior Mumbai police official said.

Report of another demise was received early on Saturday morning when 32-year-old Police Sub Inspector (PSI) Amol Kulkarni, who was attached to the Shahu Nagar police station, died at his residence in Pratiksha Nagar.

Mumbai police spokesperson Pranay Ashok told Mirror Online on Saturday that Kulkarni had developed symptoms since the last few days in the form of fever and cold.

On May 13, swab samples were collected from him at the KEM Hospital and he went back home, waiting for further hospitalisation. An official from the Shahu Nagar police station said that Kulkarni had a history of high blood pressure and hypertension.

Kulkarni collapsed in the washroom at his residence on Saturday around 5 am. He is survived by his wife and a three-year-old daughter.

Before Kulkarni’s death, a 45-year old police constable Bhagwan Parte, attached to the Shivaji Nagar police station, had died during treatment at the MGM hospital in Kamote on Thursday.

On Tuesday 57-year-old Assistant Sub-Inspector (ASI) Murlidhar Waghmare, who was attached to the Sewree police station, had died during treatment at the same hospital.

Earlier, a 54-year-old head constable Sunil Kargutkar from the VB Nagar police station had succumbed to the infection on May 8.

Last month, three more policemen from the Mumbai police had succumbed to the virus. The deceased policemen are identified as 56-year-old head constable Shivaji Narayan Sonawane, who was posted with the Kurla division of the traffic police, 57-year-old head constable Chandrakant Ganpat Pendurkar, posted at the Vakola Police station and 52-year-old head constable Sandip Surve, who was posted with the Special Branch.

While the number of positive cases in the force rose by 1001 on Thursday, over 450 have been reported from Mumbai alone.

The state government has announced Rs 50 lakh ex-gratia to the next of kin of policemen dying of COVID-19 while arrangements have been made to give employment to one of their family members in the force.

Three more deaths in the Maharashtra police have been reported one each from Pune, Solapur and Nashik city.