PUNE: Tirupati Rajaram Ullewad (26) of
Nanded drowned in the waters of Bhushi dam in
Lonavla on Sunday afternoon. His body was found after a search operation was conduted by the police, fire brigade and Naval officers.
According to the Lonavla (city) police, Ullewad and five of his friends, all
employees of a
private company in Pune, had gone to Lonavla for a picnic. They entered the backwaters of the dam for a swim around 4.15 pm. However, while swimming, Ullewad disappeared. His friends raised an alarm.
Local businessmen Sahebrao Chavan and Raju Pawar jumped into the water and started searching for Ullewad.
26-year-old drowns in Bhushi dam
The local residents informed the police and they too rushed to the spot. Chavan and Pawar found his body after an hour-long search. Lonavla (City) police have registered a case of accidental death.
It has been raining continuously in the twin hill station of Lonavla and Khandala.
This is the first death at Bhushi dam after a gap of two years. In previous years, many tourists to the dam site have died after wading into the waters. The Lonavla police and local civic administration then decided to curb the menace. The civic body installed a fence and did not allow tourists to go beyond the fence.
The police also deploy bandobasts at the site on weekends during the monsoon. Despite this, tourists sometimes enter the backwaters of the dam to take a swim.
Representative Image