Kolkata: The North Port Police Station (NPPS) alerted authorities about an elderly woman floating in the Hooghly River near Babughat, drifting from the northern side of the stream at around 11:05 am on Wednesday.
Within minutes, at 11:07 am, Inspector Indra Narayan Choudhury, along with two DMG personnel and River Traffic Patrol staff, swiftly launched a rescue operation using a speed boat. By 11:15 am, they located the woman amid strong currents. A DMG member and a launch staffer bravely jumped into the river to pull her to safety.
The rescue was urgent as the bore tide, peaking at 10:54 am at Garden Reach, was set to hit Babughat by 11:30 am. The high tide could have been fatal and made the rescue extremely difficult. The woman was brought to the RTP office for safekeeping. She was identified as 70-year-old Kalindi Mondal, widow of Lt. Jiban Mondal. Previously employed as a maid for a doctor in Salt Lake, Mondal had attempted suicide due to severe health issues and loneliness, timing her act with the high tide. She is now receiving care and support.