Navi Mumbai: 18-year-old drowns at Pandavkada waterfall, body fished out

An 18-year-old student from Govandi drowned at Pandavkada waterfall in Kharghar on Tuesday evening

An 18-year-old student from Govandi drowned at Pandavkada waterfall in Kharghar on Tuesday evening. His body was fished out of the water on Wednesday morning.

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The forest department had banned entry to the waterfall last month. Yet, a large number of people from across Mumbai go there for enjoyment.

According to the police, Mausam Rambahadur Gharti had visited the waterfall with five other friends at around 3.30pm. Three of them entered the water and started swimming when he drowned. Three other boys from the group were good swimmers and searched for him in the water for a long time, but to no avail. They later went to the police station and narrated the incident.

The police and fire brigade officials reached the spot and searched for him till 9.30pm, but they could not trace him. On Wednesday, at around 9.30am, they managed to fish out his body that was stuck under a boulder.

Shatrughna Mali, senior inspector of Kharghar police station, said, “The boys in the group were friends since school days and are residents of Mankhurd and Govandi. On Tuesday, they boarded a Panvel-bound train from Mankhurd station and alighted at Kharghar. From there, they hired an auto rickshaw to go to the waterfall. We sent the deceased’s body to a civic hospital in Panvel and later handed it over to his family.”

Another police officer said, “The deceased was the only son of his mother. His father too passed away a few years ago. He had cleared his Class 12 exam this year. We have registered an accidental death case,” another police officer said.

Shivraj Patil, deputy commissioner of police (zone II), said, “Since the water level changes frequently at the catchment area of the waterfall, no one can judge it accurately. Despite knowing about the ban, people come to that site for enjoyment due to their negligence and carelessness, and thus meet with such accidents. We appeal to the revellers to avoid such places.”

Earlier, in August 2019, four girls including three college students were washed away by the strong current of a stream while they were trying to cross it near the waterfall. Several other similar accidents have also taken place at the site.

Mali said, “Apart from deploying officials, we have also put banners at several places asking people not to enter the waterfall. But the area is huge and there are several routes to go to the waterfall. Therefore, it is very difficult to prevent people from going.”