Diamond merchant dies by suicide in sea near Gateway

According to police, the diamond merchant who died in Colaba has been identified as Sanjay Shantilal Shah, a resident of Sheela Apartment in Mahalaxmi where he stayed with his wife, son, daughter-in-law, and grandchildren. Shah ran a diamond business from his office in Bandra Kurla Complex, police said.

Family members of the deceased told police that he was suffering from diabetes and blood pressure and had been incurring huge losses for the past two to three years.

“Around 7 am on Sunday, Shah left home, claiming that he was going for a morning walk, after which he took a cab and asked the driver to take him to the Bandra-Worli sea link,” said an officer.

“Through taxi driver’s statement it came to light that he had initially planned to end his life by jumping off the Bandra Worli sea link as Shah went across the sea link twice and under the pretext of throwing puja-related flowers in the sea, he requested the driver to stop the vehicle multiple times. But the driver refused to halt, citing heavy fine by the traffic authorities,” an investigating officer added.

The businessman later asked the driver to take him to Gateway of India where he reached around 9.30 am and jumped into the sea.

A person who witnessed the incident informed the Mumbai police’s control room, after which a team was sent to the spot. Fire brigade officials were also called.

“There were huge waves in the morning, due to which the authorities found it difficult to rescue him. Later we tied a rope to pull him out and rushed him to St George hospital, where he was declared dead before admission,” an officer said.

The Colaba police registered an accidental death report. “We came to know from his family that he was depressed due to losses in business over the past few years, which prompted him to end his life,” said an officer.