Three men drowned in the Bhatsa river, while two others, including a seven-year-old boy, drowned in the Thane creek. (Representational image)
Five persons drowned in two separate incidents in Thane on Sunday. Three men drowned in the Bhatsa river, while two others, including a seven-year-old boy, drowned in the Thane creek. Four bodies have been recovered, while that of the minor is yet to be found. Three friends — Roshan Kamath (29), Suraj Uday Singh (30) and Rajesh Raita (34) — from Wagle Estate of Thane went for a picnic to a farmhouse near Ojharli village in Kalyan. “Around 5 pm, a distress call was raised. By the time we rushed to the property, there was no sign of any of them,” said an officer from Kalyan Taluka.
Sources said Kamath entered the river and was followed by Singh and Raita. “It is possible that they didn’t gauge the depth of the river properly. The villagers saw them and some even jumped into the river for help, but by then, they drowned,” the officer informed.
It became dark by the time police started a search operation. So, it was resumed on Monday morning and the bodies were found. Kalyan Taluka police registered a case of accidental death. “The bodies have been sent for post-mortem. We are investigating if there was any foul play,” an officer said.
In a separate incident, a father and a son, who were sitting at the edge of a creek while fishing, reportedly slipped and fell into the water accidentally.
“Some passers-by saw them crying for help from the water,” said an officer from Kasarvadavli police station. “The incident occurred behind the Hiranandani Estate around 4 pm,” another officer added. “A case of accidental death has been lodged and investigation is on,” he added. The victims have been identified as Rajesh Bhoir, 31, and Harshad Bhoir, 7. “We managed to find the body of Rajesh on Monday. However, a search for Harshad’s body is still on,” said an official.