Luck ran out for Pavan Kumar, who used to assist police in retrieving bodies from Hussainsagar Lake, when he himself drowned on Monday while trying to recover iron rods used for making Ganesh idols.
According to the police, Pavan Kumar, hailing from Khammam, had been helping them fish out bodies from the lake for the last 10 years.
Even when several people were reluctant to jump into the murky waters of the lake, he used to dive for retrieving highly decomposed bodies stuck underwater with the help of a rope.
The police would later preserve them at the Gandhi Hospital mortuary for autopsy. Despite the dangers involved, it was a full-time vocation for Pavan Kumar who used to be paid by the police as well as a few grateful family members of the deceased for his daredevilry.
Pavan Kumar was estimated to have retrieved more than 100 bodies from the lake and also from other water bodies around the city whenever called upon by the police for help.
But, he got drowned when he trying to collect the iron rods underwater.
Pawan Kumar used to stay near Tank Bund and also eke out his livelihood by selling iron rods.
