Three including nine-yr-old meet watery grave in separate cases

Belthangady/Malpe: Three persons including a nine-year-old boy met with a watery grave in separate incidents in the city on Friday, October 19.

Tumkur native Suresh,29, and 9-year-old Mokshith, a native of Hassan drowned at the Malpe beach in two different incidents while Pratheek,19, a Putrabettu resident drowned in the Netravathi river in Beltangady taluk here.

According to reports, Suresh was a member of an eighteen-member group that had arrived in the city to visit various pilgrimage places. After offering their prayers at Sabarimala and Dharmasthala the group paid a visit to the Malpe beach. It was while playing in the waters that Suresh was swept away with a wave. Though lifeguards managed to rescue him he passed away on the way to the hospital.

Mokshith, who had come to the beach, during the evening hours with his parents – Anand and Rudrani – was engulfed by a huge wave while playing and is said to have died on the spot. 

The bodies of Mokshith and Suresh were shifted to Ajjarakadu district hospital for postmortem and a case registered with Malpe police.

In case of Pratheek, it is believed that he had ventured into the river to take a bath or to catch fish when he may have drowned in the waters. Although the fire brigade personnel from Beltangady rushed to the spot and undertook elaborate rescue operation, his mortal remains remained untraceable. 

Beltangady police visited the spot and a case has been registered.