Sanjay Yadav, a 31-year-old cab driver, is being lauded across the internet and by political leaders for his heroic act of saving a 56-year-old woman from falling off the Mumbai Trans-Harbour Link (MTHL) bridge on Friday. Yadav, who spent Saturday answering a flurry of congratulatory calls, recounted the tense moments leading up to the rescue.

The woman, Reema Patel, was a regular customer of Yadav’s taxi driver friend, who was unavailable on Friday, leading Yadav to take the booking. “Even when in the taxi, she seemed quite disturbed,” Yadav said. Initially, Patel asked to be driven to Airoli but later redirected him to the Atal Setu bridge. Throughout the ride, her agitation was apparent, particularly when Yadav’s phone rang, prompting her to scream about her discomfort with any kind of noise. “She doesn’t like any noise as it mentally shakes her,” Yadav recalled.

Patel informed Yadav that she needed to immerse some photos of gods and insisted on stopping on the bridge, despite Yadav’s warnings that stopping there was prohibited. Her insistence raised suspicions in Yadav, especially when she began climbing the bridge’s railing. “I got scared and suspected her motive,” Yadav said, explaining that he decided to stand close to her.

At that moment, a traffic van with its lights flashing distracted both Yadav and Patel. As she lost her balance, Yadav instinctively grabbed her by the hair, preventing what could have been a fatal fall. “I am glad I could do that since I could save a life,” Yadav said, reflecting on the incident.

Yadav’s family in Jharkhand expressed their pride in his brave act. The police acknowledged that while Yadav technically violated traffic rules by stopping on the bridge, they chose not to penalise him due to his life-saving actions. However, they urged him to spread the message among his fellow drivers: no matter the situation, stopping on the Atal Setu bridge should be strictly avoided.

Read More : BBMP to Revamp 7.5-Km Stormwater Drain with New Facilities and Roadways