Three youngsters on picnic drown in Thane river

Two were residents of Wagle Estate, while one was a Nepalese citizen who had come to visit his ailing father.

Three youngsters who had gone for a picnic near Titwala, drowned in the Khadavli river on Sunday.

Family members of one of the victims, Roshan Singh, mourn their loss at Wagle Estate on Monday. (Representational photo)

Two of the victims, Roshan Singh, 28, and Suraj Singh, 27, are residents of Wagle Estate in Thane. The third victim – identified as Rajesh Tamatta, 35 – was a Nepalese citizen. The bodies were recovered on Monday and have been handed over to the respective families. The men had gone for a swim in the river, said the police.

Police suspect that they drowned because the flow of the water increased in a quick span of time.

“On Monday, when we reached the spot, we saw all three bodies floating in the river. The rescue team officials pulled them out of the river. They were declared dead after they were taken to the Central hospital in Ulhasnagar,” said P Kasbe, senior police inspector from Titwala police station. “We have registered an Accidental Death Report (ADR) in the case and have taken the statements of eye-witnesses.”

The three men had been to the spot for a picnic on Sunday with five others. Roshan had gone for swimming in the river. When he did not return for a long time, Suraj, Rajesh and his brother, Ekender, suspected something amiss, and went in the river to search for Roshan.

“I came out of the river to take help from the locals to search for Roshan. When I came back with the locals, we couldn’t find Rajesh and Suraj too. We searched for them but in vain. Following this, we called up the helpline number,” said Ekender, 46.

Rajesh had come to Thane a few days back to visit his father, who is undergoing treatment for paralysis. He was to leave for Nepal today.