Picnic ends in tragedy: Teen drowns at Arnala beach

The boy, who was a student of Viva College, had gone to the beach for a picnic after his classes at 5pm along with two of his friends on Thursday, a police officer said, adding that the trio then decided to swim in the sea

Mumbai: Venturing into the sea did not turn out well for three friends when one of the boys drowned at Arnala beach, police officials said on Friday. The victim – identified as Amit Gupta, 17, a resident of Nalasopara – was rushed to a nearby hospital, where he died while undergoing treatment late in the night on Thursday.

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Gupta, who was a student of Viva College, had gone to the beach for a picnic after his classes at 5pm along with two of his friends on Thursday, a police officer said, adding that the trio then decided to swim in the sea.

Eyewitnesses told the police that the teenagers went into the sea, but after a few minutes, two of them noticed that Gupta was missing. They said that they shouted his name but did not get any answer, after which they approached the police and informed them about Gupta.

Around 6pm, Gupta’s friends noticed that he was missing, Kalyanrao Karpe, senior police inspector of Arnala police station, said. “Assuming that he had drowned due to the high tide, Gupta’s friends called the Arnala police station. Meanwhile, with the help of the locals and a lifeguard, the other two friends began looking for him. At 6.30pm, they found Gupta and rushed him to the Sanjeevani Hospital in Virar,” he added.

Karpe said that though thousands visit the Arnala beach, there is just one lifeguard to man the entire stretch, which is over three kilometres. “We have been conveying to the Vasai Virar Municipal Corporation (VVMC) about this, but they haven’t paid any heed,” he added. An accidental death report has been registered in the matter.

Despite several attempts, HT could not reach the municipal commissioner of VVMC, Anil Pawar.