Four persons, including two women, who had gone for idol immersion, drowned in the Yamuna in outer north Delhi’s Alipur on Thursday night. Though the police and civil defence volunteers had allegedly asked them not to bath in the river, they bluffed their way into the waterbody.
Deputy Commissioner of Police (Outer North) Gaurav Sharma said that the deceased were identified as Umesh Yadav (20), Nikit (21), Priyanka (20), and Pinki (21). They were all residents of Nangloi’s Nihal Vihar and students of Delhi University colleges.
The police said that they received a PCR call around 9 p.m. informing that four persons had drowned in the Yamuna. When the police reached the spot, they were informed that a group of about 30 people had performed puja at their residence and came for idol immersion. Thereafter, someone suggested that they must take a dip in the Yamuna for completion of rituals and they proceeded to Thoker number 17.
“They were stopped at Shani temple and Bakhtawarpur by the police and the civil defence volunteers, but they convinced them saying that they will not enter the river,” Mr. Sharma said.
After sometime, the police received a call from one Purnima who told them that eight persons had entered the waterbody and four of them got drowned.
Mr. Sharma said that a search and rescue operation was carried out with the help of Delhi Fire Service, Delhi Disaster Management Authority, civil defence staff, and Sub Divisional Magistrate’s emergency rescue team. The bodies were recovered during the early hours of Friday.
One of the members of the group, who identified himself as Neeraj Prasad admitted that there were warning signs against entering the river but the group ignored them.
