Two college students Monday drowned in the backwaters of Khadakwasla dam in Pune’s Maharashtra, the police said. The friends were part of a five-member group that had gone to the reservoir banks at Sonapur village for an outing, they said.
The police have identified the deceased as Farhan Alim Shaikh, 18, and Sahil Vilas Thakar, 19, both residents of Kothrud.
Officials from the Pune Rural Police said that the five students studying in a local college went to Khadakwasla dam backwaters, located around 25 kilometres from Pune around 1 pm by car.
“The bodies of the two students were fished out of the water later in the evening,”an officer from Haveli police station said. (Express Photo)
According to an officer from Haveli police station, under the Pune Rural police, Thakar entered the waters around 3.30 pm despite a warning from the villagers. After a while, as he moved further into the water body, lost his balance, and started drowning. Shaikh who entered the water to rescue him also drowned, said the officer.
“Local villagers rushed to the spot after the three other students raised an alarm. The police informed the Fire Brigade of the Pune Metropolitan Region Development Authority (PMRDA) to carry out the search and rescue operations. The bodies of the two students were fished out of the water later in the evening,” said the officer.
On December 21, last year, a 17-year-old girl and her male friend drowned at the same spot. The incident had come to light after their abandoned bike was found near the banks of the water body.
