Mumbai beat — New-born strangulated

A police constable attached to L T Marg police station noticed a bundle lying outside a jewellery shop in Ganeshwadi. The bundle was stinking and was covered with flies.

When the constable opened it, he discovered a new-born baby girl. Her umbilical cord intact, she was covered with a sheet that stuck to her body. The constable also noticed a plastic cord tied around her neck. The girl was dead.

The L T Marg police registered a case of murder. Preliminary medical examination at J J Hospital confirmed the baby was a day old and died due to strangulation.

Immediately, all hospitals in and around South Mumbai were combed, but without any success. Deputy commissioner of police, zone-I, Ashok Dhamija said, “I think the parents must have come from a faraway place and dumped the baby here to mislead police.”

Bldg residents asked to vacate

The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation today warned residents of Nazar Ali building at Dharamseth Street, Crawford Market to vacate their flats since the building is on the verge of collapse.

The extremely dilapidated structure, constructed before 1940, is occupied by 62 tenant families. Municipal Commissioner Girish Gokhale and deputy municipal commissioner Desai paid a visit to the building today.

Later, at a meeting convened by Gokhale, residents of the building were assured that they would be provided alternate accommodation by the BMC. He said that the families would be shifted to the transit camp at Ramabai Ambedkar Nagar in Ghatkopar. However, only 14 families agreed to move to the transit camps.

The corporation also had an alternative for those others reluctant to leave their flats. Gokhale put forward a proposal that the families can form a cooperative housing society and undertake to reconstruct the building. The corporation agreed to loan them 50 per cent of the cost without charging any interest.