A 36-year-old woman delivered her baby on a crowded footpath in Dongri moments after two women constables a to help her, prompting a dramatic rescue by the Dongri police team. As the woman screamed in labour, Beat Marshal Sunil Khadse ran to fetch gloves, cloth, and help, but by the time he returned, the baby had already been born. The team quickly stabilised mother and child, and rushed them to JJ Hospital, where doctors confirmed they were out of danger.
Police Constable Sunil Khadse, who witnessed the tense minutes unfold, told mid-day that the woman was in extreme pain when the first officers reached her. “Two women constables were already helping her when I arrived. They urgently needed gloves and cloth, so I ran to bring them. But by the time I came back with the gloves and a local woman who agreed to assist, the delivery had already happened on the footpath,” Khadse said.
“At that point, saving the mother and the baby was all that mattered. Hearing at JJ Hospital that both were stable brought immense relief,” he added. According to officials, the distress call came at 11.16 am, reporting that a woman was in labour on the road at Samantbhai Nanji Marg near Tipsy Bar in Umar Khadi. Dongri Mobile-5 and Mobile-1 women constables arrived at 11.21 am and found Maladevi Maheshwaran Nadar in severe labour pain on the pavement, while her panicked husband stood helplessly beside her.
The mother and newborn are under observation at JJ Hospital. REPRESENTATION PIC/ISTOCK
The women constables immediately created a cloth screen to provide privacy in the middle of the busy lane and began preparing for an emergency delivery. With no paramedics nearby, essential supplies were needed urgently. Beat Marshal-4 officer Khadse, who was patrolling close to the location, rushed to gather gloves, cloth and additional help.
In the few minutes he was away, Maladevi delivered the baby on the footpath. When Khadse returned, the newborn was still attached to the umbilical cord, and both mother and infant were in a fragile state. The women constables, assisted by two local women, cleaned the baby and stabilised the mother using whatever limited materials were available.
The team then wrapped them securely and shifted them into the Dongri Mobile-1 van, rushing them to JJ Hospital within minutes. Doctors cut the umbilical cord, cleaned the mother and baby, and confirmed they were out of danger.
Senior officers praised the seamless coordination between Dongri Mobile-1, Mobile-5, the beat marshal unit and local residents. They noted that the quick, instinctive actions of the officers prevented a potentially life-threatening situation for both mother and child. “We were only thinking of saving two lives,” Khadse said. The mother and newborn remain under observation at JJ Hospital.
