mumbai

Updated: Apr 26, 2020 13:33 IST

A 52-year-old Mumbai police constable who contracted the coronavirus disease died on Sunday, officials said. It was the second Covid-19 fatality in the Mumbai police department in 24 hours.

“Mumbai police regrets to inform you of the sad demise of Head Constable Sandip Surve, aged 52. Shri. Surve had been fighting Coronavirus for the past few days. Our thoughts and deepest condolences are with his family and loved ones,” Mumbai police commissioner Param Bir Singh tweeted.

A senior Mumbai police officer, who did not want to be named, said the constable, who was with the protection branch, was admitted to MGM Hospital in Panvel on April 23.

“He passed away at the hospital around 7.30 am. He is survived by his wife, a son and a daughter. The family has been informed and the cremation will be done in Navi Mumbai where the constable used to stay,” the officer said.

“His contact history is being traced… He had been travelling in a public transport bus all the way from Navi Mumbai to his south Mumbai office till he fell sick in the third week of April,” the officer added. Surve received treatment for cancer in 2017, according to the officer.

On Saturday, a 57-year-old police head constable undergoing treatment for Covid-19 died at the BYL Nair Hospital.

Pranaya Ashok, deputy commissioner of police (operation) and a spokesperson for the Mumbai Police, said about 39 police personnel had tested positive for Covid-19 in Mumbai and are undergoing treatment at various hospitals.

“We are avoiding the deployment of older and physically weak in front-line areas,” he said.