An outing to the Musi river turned tragic for a NRI doctor after his 18-month-old daughter slipped from his arms and fell into the water and got washed away even as he watched in horror at L.B. Nagar on Thursday.
The police launched one of the biggest ever search operations to trace the toddler Manvi. Expert swimmers, Lake Police personnel, fire service teams, municipal workers, friends and relatives, locals scoured both banks of the river for over 2 km to trace her.
Dr. Reddy, living in Sahara Estate of Mansoorabad, came to the city three weeks ago. The previous day, he took his family to Nagarjunasagar . Around 1 p.m. on Thursday, he took his elder son Pramek Reddy, 10, and Maanvi, to show them the Musi. He stopped his car near Nagole on L.B. Nagar-Uppal stretch and walked to the bridge where the swirling river waters were touching the bank. Carrying the toddler on his arms, he showed her the flowing water while his son stood a few feet away.
ADVERTISEMENT
“I was holding Manvi when she suddenly moved and slipped from my arms,” the disconsolate doctor told L.B. Nagar Inspector P. Srinivas Reddy.
As the toddler was swept away in the river flowing swiftly due to steady rains for the past few days, Mr. Reddy shouted for help and also dialled police helpline ‘100’.
“Some passers by tried to rescue the baby, but by then there was no trace of her,” he said.
ADVERTISEMENT
The entire L.B. Nagar police station team descended at the spot and started searching for the toddler hoping she could have been washed ashore.
Police had even requisitioned the Tourism Department for a boat to search for the missing child. Searches continued till late in the night with policemen camping at the point and teams of swimmers combing both banks of the river.