A picnic to celebrate the birthday of a 19-year-old girl turned tragic when two of her friends drowned at Rajodi beach in Virar on Sunday evening. The police continue to search for the youths, who were yet to be traced till late Monday evening.
Pooja Dudhe with her sister Priya (20) and three friends, Ashish Mohite (21), his younger brother Adarsh (16), and his cousin Akshay More (22) — all neighbours in Virar (E) — had decided to celebrate her birthday at Rajodi beach. The group was playing beach ball when sudden waves pulled all of them into the waters.
Three rescued
Locals, who witnessed the scene, alerted the Arnala coastal police and in the meantime, dived into the waters and rescued three of them. “Adarsh and Akshay are yet to be traced. We believe that the two boys may have drowned,” said inspector Kerubhau Kolhe of Arnala coastal police station, adding, “We have formed a 30-member team to search for the duo.”
Warnings ignored
People ignore warnings from the police and the locals asking them not to enter the choppy waters.
“Arnala gram panchayat has deployed lifeguards. But once the lifeguards pass to another side of the beach, people enter the waters,” the inspector said. Ashish worked as a technician with a television company in Mumbai, while Akshay did odd jobs.
The writer is a freelance journalist.
