The sudden death of veteran Indian actor and filmmaker Nana Patekar has prompted an investigation by Goa Police, who have registered a case of unnatural death to establish the circumstances surrounding the incident. The actor was found unconscious at his residence in Goa and taken to hospital, but efforts to save him proved unsuccessful.
Panaji Police registered the case under Section 194 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), which provides for police inquiries into deaths occurring under circumstances that may require further investigation. Authorities are examining the events leading up to the actor’s death, although they have not yet released detailed findings.
According to police records, Patekar was found unconscious at his home in Ocean Park, Dona Paula, in Goa. He was subsequently taken to the emergency department of Manipal Hospital in Bambolim. Reports indicate that he had died before reaching the hospital.
Police Sub-Inspector Nitin Naik has been assigned responsibility for the investigation. Officials have so far refrained from disclosing further details about the case, and the circumstances surrounding the actor’s final hours remain under examination.
Actor Reportedly Contacted a Friend During the Night
Oncologist Dr Shekhar Salgar has provided an account of the events preceding Patekar’s death. According to the doctor, the actor sent a message to a friend at around 2.30 am, reporting that he was feeling unwell.
As the message arrived in the middle of the night, the friend did not see it immediately. After noticing it later, he contacted Patekar by telephone and subsequently reached the actor’s residence at around 4 am.
By the time the friend arrived, Patekar was reportedly sweating and displaying other symptoms of illness. Recognising the seriousness of his condition, those present took immediate steps to seek medical assistance.
However, the actor’s condition continued to deteriorate, and he gradually lost consciousness. A domestic worker was sent to the hospital to arrange an ambulance, while an emergency medical team was also dispatched from the hospital to the residence.
The sequence of events during this period is likely to be relevant to the ongoing inquiry, particularly as investigators seek to establish the timeline between the first reported symptoms and the actor’s arrival at the hospital.
Doctors Attempt Resuscitation
According to Dr Salgar, Patekar had already become unconscious by the time the medical team reached his home. Doctors attempted to revive him through cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), but he did not respond.
The actor was taken to Manipal Hospital in Bambolim at approximately 4.20 am. Once there, medical staff continued their efforts to save him, administering cardiac massage and CPR for around 45 minutes.
Despite the prolonged attempts at resuscitation, the doctors were unable to revive him. Patekar was pronounced dead at approximately 5.20 am, according to the account provided by the doctor.
The reported timeline places the initial message to his friend at around 2.30 am, the friend’s arrival at the residence at approximately 4 am, and the actor’s arrival at the hospital about 20 minutes later. Medical teams continued their efforts after he reached the emergency department, but those interventions were unsuccessful.
Investigation Seeks to Establish the Circumstances
The registration of an unnatural-death case allows the police to examine the circumstances surrounding a death and determine whether further investigation is necessary. It does not, by itself, establish that a crime has occurred.
In Patekar’s case, investigators are expected to focus on the events before he lost consciousness and the circumstances in which he was found at his residence. The information provided by his friend and the medical team may help establish the sequence of events, while further medical findings could be important in determining the cause of death.
Police have not yet released a detailed account of their findings or confirmed the precise medical cause of death. Until the investigation establishes the relevant facts, it would be premature to draw conclusions about what happened.
The case remains under investigation by Goa Police, with Sub-Inspector Nitin Naik overseeing the inquiry.
