An 18-year-old boy drowned in Pandavkada waterfall in Kharghar on Tuesday evening and his body was flushed out by the fire brigade on Wednesday morning. The boy had come along with his friends on Tuesday evening at the waterfall and he went missing when he ventured into the water.
Despite the effort from police and fire brigade, the boy could not be traced on Tuesday night.
The police had already banned the entry at the waterfall due to previous incidents when people drowned in the catchment area of the waterfall.
The deceased boy has been identified as Mausam Rambahadur Gharti, a resident of Govandi-Mankhurd in Mumbai. He had come along with his school friends to the waterfall on Tuesday around 3.30 pm.
Shatrughan Mali, senior police inspector of Kharghar police station said that Gharti and his four school friends had come from Mankhurd by train and deboarded at Kharghar station. From the station, they took an autorickshaw to reach the Pandavkada waterfall at around 3.30 pm.
Other friends were identified as Gaurav Lokhande, Akhip Khan, Suraj Yadav, and Raheel Khan, all are from Mankhurd.
According to police, Lokhande, Khan, and Gharti jumped into the water at the waterfall. However, after some time, Lokhande and Khan returned, but Gharti could not come out from the water. They tried to search but failed and then called the police control room.
Mali said that the police and fire brigade tried to trace him on Tuesday late evening. However, they could not find him. On Wednesday morning, around 9.30 am, the fire brigade found him under a boulder in the water and flushed him out.
Shivraj Patil, deputy commissioner of police of zone 2 said that since the water level changes frequently at the catchment area of the waterfall, no one can judge it accurately. He added that people come for enjoyment and due to their mistakes, they meet with the accidents. He also appealed to citizens to avoid venturing at such places.
Pandavkada is one of the most sought-after places for trekkers during the monsoon. However, the police had enforced Section 144 of CrPC, prohibiting tourists from visiting the place. In the past, cases of drowning were reported here.
The Kharghar police banned entry to the waterfall for three months from June 7 to September 30. The police said that decision was taken as a safety measure to avoid any untoward incident from taking place.
