Manipur youth who drowned in Delhi’s Hauz Khas lake was drunk, say police

Horthan, 21, had come to Delhi last month in search of a job. On Monday, he had come for a morning walk at Deer Park with his friends when he allegedly took off his clothes and jumped in for a dip.

A drunk youth drowned at Hauz Khas lake after allegedly jumping in to take a dip. The 21-year-old named Horthan had come to Delhi from Manipur last month in search of a job.

A rescue team of fire department, CAT ambulances and local police retrieved Horthan’s body from the lake around 9am and rushed him to a nearby hospital, where he was declared brought in dead. (HT FILE)

However, investigators said that the two friends of the deceased told the police that they had gone to the Hauz Khas lake after partying the night at around 3 am. While walking the deceased reportedly told his friends that he saw a fish in the lake and jumped into it. From 3.30 am to 6am , the two boys who were also heavily drunk tried rescuing him and called police control room when they failed to find him.

Around 6am, police control room received a distress call from the victim’s friends at Deer Park. When a team from Safdarjung Enclave police station reached the spot. The two friends told the police that they had come to the park with Horthan “for an early morning walk”.

A rescue team of fire department, CAT ambulances and local police retrieved his body around 9am and rushed him to a nearby hospital, where he was declared brought in dead.

Police said Horthan had come to Delhi on July 27 in search of a job. A senior officer said they have taken the statement of his two friends and are probing the case.

This is the second case of a Manipur youth’s death in last two weeks. On August 12, Sidharth,19, son of Manipur’s former home minister Okendro R had fallen off the balcony of a building housing two restaurants at Hauz Khas Village. Police are probing if the death was accidental or he was pushed off the building.