Cancer patient, friend jump into Hooghly

KOLKATA: A young woman suffering from lung cancer and a male friend jumped into the Hooghly from a launch near Millenium Park on Tuesday evening. The two remained untraced even as separate teams of river traffic police and disaster management group personnel conducted searches till late into the night.
According to police, the duo in their 20s had boarded the launch — MV Natraj — from Millenium Jetty for a ride till Howrah.While the launch was crossing Millenium Park, the duo jumped into the water, leaving their rucksacks and mobile phones behind.
“The incident happened around 5.20pm. The woman jumped off the launch first. She was followed by the man. A search operation ensued within the next few minutes but none of the two could be traced till late into the night,” said an officer of North port police station.
Scanning the rucksacks the two had left behind, police found some medical history of the woman where it reflected that she was suffering from lung cancer. Cops got the number of the man’s father’s contact number by scanning the former’s cellphone. Police called him to the police station where he stated that his son was in a relationship with a woman who was suffering from cancer. The father, who owns a glass business at Mullickbazar, has told cops that his son used to help him in running the business.
“From the father’s statement, we suspect the lady is the same person with which the youth had an affair. However, it is subject to investigation to find out if it is an attempted suicide pact,” said the officer.