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  Selfie Death: Cousins seek Navy help to find body

Selfie Death: Cousins seek Navy help to find body

Published : Jan 17, 2016, 6:36 am IST
Updated : Jan 17, 2016, 6:36 am IST

Unable to find Tarannum Ansari’s body for a week now, the Bandra police on Saturday has written to the Indian Navy, seeking their help in their pursuit.

Unable to find Tarannum Ansari’s body for a week now, the Bandra police on Saturday has written to the Indian Navy, seeking their help in their pursuit.

The 18-year-old girl slipped into the sea from the rocks outside Bandra Fort last Saturday morning while clicking selfies and pictures with her two friends. Senior Police Inspector, Ramchandra Dhawale of Bandra, confirmed the development.

Tarannum’s cousin Aftab Alam Ansari and a police constable have submitted the official letter to the Indian Navy. “We want them to give us one or two good swimmers and a speed boat. We will use the service to find Tarannum’s body if it is in places like near the pillars across Bandra-Worli Sea Link. We cannot search in such places as we do not know how to swim and there is fear of drowning. But if we have professionals on our side, the task will be risk-free,” said Mr Ansari.

He also said that Tarannum’s mother accompanies them during their search. “Over 50 persons from Baiganwadi in Govandi have formed small groups and fanned out to find the body. Sea ends like Haji Ali, the mangroves of Carter Road, Gorai and Mahim have been checked. But there is a lot more to be done,” said Mr Ansari. Police has provided them a constable who coordinates with the fishermen who lend their boats for searching the sea. The family has spent a lot of money to hire the boats.

The body of Ramesh Valanju, the brave heart who lost his life trying to save Tarannum, was found a couple of days later in Mahim creek. Tarannum is survived by her mother, brother and two sisters. She was a Govandi resident pursuing a degree from SNDT.

Unable to find Tarannum after a week-long search, her cousins, approached the Indian Navy, armed with a letter from Bandra police, seeking their help to search her body, which would provide them closure in this case.For seven days now, her cousins, along with several others, have been searching seashores like Gorai, Juhu, Carter Road and have even looked deep into the mangroves but in vain.