3 kids drown in pond while swimming at golf course in Delhi's Dwarka

The deceased have been identified as an eight-year-old, his brother, 11, and their friend another 11-year-old.

Bodies of two minor brothers and their friend, aged around 8-11 years, were recovered on Thursday morning from a pond in a golf course in southwest Delhi’s Dwarka, where they allegedly drowned while swimming on Wednesday, a police officer said.

New Delhi, India - April 30, 2026: A view of the site at Golf Course after three children allegedly drowned in a pond at Sector 24 Dwarka on Thursday morning, in New Delhi, India, April 30, 2026. (Photo by Sanjeev Verma/ Hindustan Times)

The deceased have been identified as an eight-year-old, his brother, 11, and their friend another 11-year-old. The brothers are residents of Goyla Dairy, Qutub Vihar, while their friend’s family is homeless and lives on a pavement near the JJ colony.

Police said an enquiry has been initiated and no foul play has been found. The post-mortem examination will be conducted on Friday morning.

The incident took place at DDA’s Golf Course in Sector 24, Dwarka, spread over 159 acres, having a water hazard (pond) with stakes and lines used in golf tournaments, from where the bodies were discovered after over 9-10 hours.

What happened at Delhi golf course

“On Thursday, at 7.07 am, we received a call at Sector 23 police station in Dwarka about the drowning incident involving three children. Upon arrival, it was discovered that the three children were found submerged in the pond. With the assistance of a fire brigade, all three were retrieved from the water body,” said deputy commissioner of police (DCP)(Dwarka) Kushal Pal Singh.

The brothers were identified by their father, who reached out to the police to claim their bodies, the officer said. Police said the friend’s father is a vagabond and sells balloons.

“There was no formal missing persons complaint. However, our primary enquiry revealed that the boys had been missing from Wednesday evening,” the DCP said.

Police said the boys are suspected of having entered the pond around 8-9 pm. “It seems the boys did not know how to swim. They just went to bathe. The pond was around 10 feet deep and had a slanted edge. It must have been difficult for them to get out,” said an officer familiar with the matter.

When asked about how the boys managed to sneak into the golf course and reach the pond, the officer said the police questioned night duty guards, but they were unaware of the trespass or drowning. “Around a kilometre away from the main gate is an elevated road with a giant tree passing through the wall. The boys might have climbed on it and entered the golf course at night. There are no CCTVs on this wall. We are checking nearby CCTVs,” the officer said.

Police told HT that the brothers were the only siblings. Their mother works as a house help while the father is jobless. “A family member told us that the three boys have known each other for years and would often visit nearby water bodies for a swim,” an officer said.

DDA released a statement saying that a committee has been formed to probe the incident. “A three-member committee under the DDA director has been constituted to enquire into the incident and submit its report within a week. Strict action, as warranted, will be taken, based on the findings of the enquiry.”

A similar incident took place in 2023, when the golf course was under construction. Three men, who had also scaled a wall and escaped guards, managed to enter the same pond and drowned.

They were identified as residents of Qutub Vihar.

When asked about the 2023 incident and the actions taken, a DDA spokesperson declined to comment.

An officer told HT that the police had written to the DDA in 2023 about the risks posed by the low-height boundary wall. “We had asked DDA to increase the height of that wall,” the officer added.