A 70-year-old woman, Manjula Jha was tragically found dead beneath a fallen tree at Bolinj in Virar (west) on Friday morning.

MUMBAI: A 70-year-old woman, Manjula Jha, who had been reported missing since Wednesday, was tragically found dead beneath a fallen tamarind tree at Bolinj in Virar (west) on Friday morning. The tree had collapsed on Wednesday due to heavy rains, but as it did not obstruct the movement of people and vehicles, it was not prioritized for removal.
Jha, a resident of Rishabh Tower in Padmavati Nagar, Bolinj, lived with her son.On the day of her disappearance, she had gone to drop her grandson at school and planned to visit the nearby temple before returning home. When she failed to return, her family searched for her but to no avail. They filed a missing person complaint with the Arnala police on Thursday.
During the search, locals at Bolinj mentioned seeing Jha plucking flowers from plants along the roadside. The police then noticed a large tamarind tree that had fallen alongside the road, which locals said had come crashing down on Wednesday when heavy rains and strong winds hit the area. They never suspected anyone to have been trapped beneath the tree.
On Friday morning, locals complained of a foul odor and informed the police, who realized that the smell was coming from around the fallen tree. The Vasai Virar Municipal Corporation (VVMC) fire brigade personnel arrived at the scene and began cutting off the huge branches. It was then that they made the grim discovery of a body beneath the tree. Efforts to cut the fallen tree and retrieve the body are currently underway.
The Arnala police are investigating the circumstances surrounding Manjula Jha’s death and will be conducting an autopsy to determine the exact cause of her demise.