Aug 12 (Mumbai Mirror): There was high drama near the Gateway of India on Tuesday afternoon, when notes of Rs 1,000 denomination were noticed floating in the water and several people ventured in to grab them.

According to Colaba resident Harichandra Somar, "I heard that currency notes were floating in the water near Gateway and when I rushed to the spot I saw several notes close to the sea wall. Since it was low tide, I immediately climbed down and picked up two Rs 1,000 notes. I rushed home and handed them to my family. I then made two more rounds and collected three more Rs 1,000 notes."

Somar added, "After collecting Rs 5,000 I didn't return as the water level began rising due to high tide."

Fort resident S Wakil managed to grab just one Rs 1,000 note. He tried making a second attempt, but by then the police had arrived.

Similarly, Santosh Pawar, a hawker from Colaba, also rushed to the spot as word spread. He managed to get hold of only one Rs 1,000 note before the cops detained him.

And where did the notes come from? According to Pawar, a foreigner threw them in the water. "I heard someone say that a foreigner threw a bundle of notes into the water and dared passersby to help themselves. When I reached the spot, I saw that several people had climbed into the water and I too did so, but unlike some others I got only one note."