54-Year-Old Woman Found Dead in Lift Shaft at Rabia Apartment in Bhiwandi
A 54-year-old woman was found dead beneath the lift of a seven-storey building near Dhobi Talao Stadium in Bhiwandi on Tuesday after going missing the previous night. The deceased was identified as Shaheen Shaikh, who was the sole breadwinner for her four children following the death of her husband.
Shaikh is suspected to have fallen into the lift shaft while heading home after completing domestic work, though the precise circumstances leading to her death remain under investigation.
According to preliminary information, Shaikh had been missing since Monday night. When she failed to return home, her family carried out searches at the residences of relatives and acquaintances as well as in surrounding neighbourhoods. After failing to trace her, the family lodged a missing-person complaint at the Bhoiwada Police Station.
The search concluded on Tuesday when Shaikh's body was discovered beneath the lift at Rabia Apartment in the Dhobi Talao area. The discovery drew crowds of local residents to the location.
Investigators suspect Shaikh had entered the building for domestic work on Monday night and reached the lift area to exit the premises before falling into the shaft. Police are currently inspecting the lift's mechanical condition, its operation, and the overall circumstances at the time of the incident to establish how the fall occurred.
Officers from Bhoiwada Police Station arrived at the spot and transferred the body to Indira Gandhi Memorial Hospital in Bhiwandi for a post-mortem examination. Police Inspector Deepak Jadhav said an Accidental Death Report has been registered. The post-mortem findings and related evidence will be used to determine the exact cause of death and assess whether negligence played a role.
The incident has also drawn attention to safety compliance at the premises. Municipal authorities stated that Rabia Apartment is an unauthorised structure. Bhiwandi Municipal Corporation ward No. 4 in-charge assistant commissioner Arvind Ghughare said a notice would be issued to the building owner seeking an explanation, while officials ascertain whether the lift suffered from technical defects or lacked proper maintenance.
