There was not a single dry eye. Even those unconnected to Manvi or her family were barely able to control their tears when the baby girl’s body was brought ashore near Nagole in L.B. Nagar on Friday morning.
The toddler slipped into the Musi from her father’s arms the previous day.
All of 18 months, the kid was a charmer in her family and relatives’ circles.
“For her age, she was speaking so well, catching new words with amazing speed. Had all gone well, she should have flown back to the UK with her family on August 21,” said her grandmother in a choked voice.
Till the body arrived, she was composed saying that they had given up hopes of finding the kid alive, but prayed to God that at least her body was found. But, she lost all her self-control as soon as the rescue team lifted the tiny tot’s body in a red pair of pants and an orange T-shirt, and collapsed on the river bank crying.
For the L.B. Nagar police too it was not a routine distress call and ever since they had received the call from Dial ‘100’, they rushed the Blue Colts team first and soon the entire police station staff descended on the spot.
While the expert swimmers searched for the girl, policemen continued to scour the banks of the river even after dark. Inspector P. Srinivas Reddy also had the presence of mind to requisition a Tourism Department boat from Durgam Cheruvu at the break of dawn. And, it was the same boat which found the body at the check dam at Marripally in Hayathnagar and brought it ashore.
“The body was floating in the still water at the check dam. If there was any delay on our part in sending the boat, the body would have crossed the check dam along with the overflowing water,” he said.
