Mumbai chef turns superman, saves police constable at Girgaon Chowpatty

Super chef Tehmtan Dumasia 62 turned superman for a young police constable who was violently attacked by a drug addict at Girgaon Chowpatty in South Mumbai on the morning of February 6 As soon as he witnessed the police officer who was sitting on his bike being struck on the head with a sack containing a paver block Tehmtan rushed to restrain the assailant stirring up the courage of other onlookers The chefrsquos bravery has been acknowledged through a letter from a top police officialSuper chef is Superman After restraining the assailant Dumasia went to the Gamdevi police station to ensure he didnrsquot escape IllustrationUday MohiteRecalling the incident Tehmtan said ldquoI am a caterer for a south Mumbai club I was returning home from there at approximately 730 pm I was waiting at the Girgaon Chowpatty signal The traffic light turned green and just as I started moving from the corner of my eye I witnessed a young constable sitting on his bike parked on the side He must have been on patrol and was watching people walk by on the promenaderdquoHead smashedTehmtan thought it was business as usual until he said ldquoI saw a man come up behind the constable and hit the back of his head with something This object was wrapped in a gunny sack but I could see that it was paver block As soon as this man hit him the constable clutched his head and I saw him bloodied and trembling It happened very fast there was no time to think I parked my scooter on the side and ran to help the police officerrdquoRestrain rowTehmtan said he kept his wits about him He added ldquoI held the attacker by his hair I recall that because he was filthy shirtless wearing pants and lsquoKedsrsquo I learnt later that he was a drug addict I do not know why he hit the constable but it may be because he had been reprimanded by this officer earlier in the day I was told later I remember that the attacker was very strong and he tried to loosen my grip but I held tight and shouted for helprdquoChef Tehmtan Dumasia cooking at the Ripon Club Kala Ghoda Fort on May 15 PicSayyed Sameer AbediAs Tehmtan held steadfast and shouted a couple of people arrived to help The chef said ldquoThey were wary obviously hesitant and scared to get involved but eventually they overcame that hesitation and assisted me in restraining this culpritrdquoDuty doneThe noisy northbound traffic was whizzing past near the selfie point at Chowpatty where the incident occurred Tehmtan continued ldquoMiraculously I was heard as I shouted at some personnel inside a police van stationed at the corner of Chowpatty The van arrived and the bleeding cop was sent in it to the closest hospital at Mumbai Central Then other cops came running to the scene One was in some kind of commando uniform I think We held on to the attacker while another van came from Gamdevi police station and the assailant was whisked away in that vehiclerdquoAnother person may have decided that was all but Tehmtan wanted to ensure that he completed the job and went personally to the police station ldquoI made sure he was cuffed to the handrail and only then I leftrdquo he saidFirst responderTehmtan who said in response to a question that he has no training in the martial arts added ldquoI am blessed with a very strong body and I am the kind of person who does intervene when witnessing any kind of trouble I do jump in to help and if my action is helpful even to a small extent I consider I have done my duty I hope more people find it worthwhile to become Good Samaritans and make our cities saferrdquo signed off the chef who did not contact the constable after the incident but did learn that he is from the DB Marg Lamington Road police stationWrite rightLast month lsquoTough Tehmtanrsquo was pleasantly surprised to receive a letter from Dr Abhinav Deshmukh additional commissioner of police south region Mumbai The onepage communication read ldquoI extend my deepest appreciation and heartfelt congratulations for your timely intervention on February 6 2025 at Selfie Point during an incident that could have ended in tragedy Your selfless act in assisting Police Constable Shivaji Ugale who was under attack by a violent assailant was nothing short of heroic Your presence of mind and quick response helped neutralise a highly dangerous situation In times when many may choose to be bystanders your actions stood as a beacon of civic responsibility and humanity Once again we thank you I express sincere gratitude for standing with us when it mattered the mostrdquoPolice SpeakTehmtan said ldquoThis was such a moving letter and there is a message there inspirational for all that we should not just watch even taking photosvideos as is the case today or walk away afraid to get into a lsquopolice jhamelarsquo as we say in local lingo but do our duty as citizensrdquoDeshmukh said ldquoI want to tell people that when you witnesssee a person in trouble on the road a victim of road rage or an accident perhaps or in any other trouble do not hesitate to intervene in good faith Good Samaritans will not face any harassment from the authoritiesrdquo As for TD Tehmtan Dumasia or Tough Dude in this case what can one say except ldquocompliments to the chefrdquoatOptionskeyd0ddb8ef8f1a62a8cdd22fac27fc5ea7formatiframeheight90width728params