PUNE: A 39-year-old man slipped and fell into a 15-foot-deep open drain near the Katraj traffic signal around 8.45am on Saturday. He was rescued by the fire brigade personnel within 30 minutes.
A video released by the fire brigade showed the man — Vijay Belbahadur — break into tears immediately on being rescued. Firemen in the video can be seen removing the rope placed around his arms and offering him a water bottle.
Fire officer Pandurang Tambe said the drain’s cover had been stolen and that police had blocked the opening using a barricade. Kumar Kamble, a passerby, saw Belbahadur fall into the drain, and raised an alarm. Personnel from the Sinhagad sub-fire station rushed to the spot and reassured a terrified Belbahadur, partly drenched in sewage water, and used a rope to pull him out by 9.15am.
Belbahadur, a citizen of Nepal, resides in Shaninagar in Katraj and works as a cook at a restaurant. “Witnesses told our rescue team that Belbahadur lost balance and fell into the drain after he removed the barricade out of curiosity,” said fire officer Tambe.
Kamble said he was near the Katraj traffic signal when he saw Belbahadur fall into the drain. “He may have picked up the barricade thinking that it was lying by the roadside,” said Kamble.
“In broken Hindi, he was able to give his name and address but could not explain how he fell into the drain. He boarded an autorickshaw saying he getting late for work and left the spot,” added Tambe.
Belbahadur’s sister Radha said he has poor vision. “We have now decided to send him back to Nepal,” said Radha. Belbahadur was not available for comment as he does not use a mobile phone.
Senior inspector Jaganath Kalaskar said the police have sent a letter to the Pune Municipal Corporation to cover the open drain at the earliest.
