An officer with Mumbai Police's Missing Persons Bureau, who himself went missing on Saturday, was found stuck in a lift Monday morning in his office building. His story left even the police gaping in wonder. The officer, according to the police, was trapped in the failed lift for over 40 hours.

According to police sources, inspector Suresh Sonawane (46) had gone missing on Saturday. He was supposed to be at work at the Missing Persons Bureau office in Crawford Market, but disappeared around 2.00 pm. When neither his family nor his colleagues could find him, they registered a missing person's complaint on Saturday evening. What made matters worse was that Sonawane did not carry a cell phone, after doctors forbade him from doing so by following a brain surgery.

On Monday morning, when technicians opened the lift for repairs, a weak and delirious Sonawane walked out of it. Before anyone could react, he was seen by some of his colleagues, who rushed him to GT Hospital and called MRA Marg police.

"According to inquiries so far, Sonawane entered the lift on Saturday afternoon to go out for lunch but the lift got stuck. Sonawane's health is frail in the light of his recent surgery which, along with the absence of a cell phone, meant that he could not call for help. He spent a day-and-a-half in the elevator. We will record a detailed statement after he is well enough to talk," said Additional Commissioner of Police, Krishna Prakash, South region.

Further inquiries revealed that technicians had visited the building on Saturday to repair the lift, for which purpose they turned the power off. However, they left without restarting the lift due to technical problems. Prakash said inquiries have been initiated to check how the technicians turned off the power to the lift without checking if it was occupied.

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