PU student drowns in pond while clicking selfie

BENGALURU: A 17-year-old student, returning after watching the

sunrise at Nandi Hills

, drowned on Wednesday while clicking a selfie at a pond on the way back home.

Varshan S was a resident

of Kamalanagar, west Bengaluru and I

PU student of a private college

in the city.

Vishwanathapura police

of Bengaluru Rural district said the incident occurred around 12.30pm when Varshan and his friends were returning to the city on their two-wheelers. The group of friends left the city at 4am after telling their parents they were going to Majestic for a darshan of goddess Annamma Devi. But, they went to Nandi Hills to see the sunrise and later spent time in the hills.

When they saw a farm pond at Maligenahalli, they stopped their vehicles. Varshan and his friends decided to take a selfie at the pond and while clicking the picture, he slipped into the pond with his friend Vinod. Varshan died even before villagers rushed to the spot after they heard his friends’ screams. Vinod managed to swim and come out from the pond.

Villagers informed Vishwanathapura police who rushed to the spot and recovered the body which was shifted to Akash Hospital for postmortem. They informed his parents about the tragedy. Varshan’s father Sudhakar and his relatives rushed to the hospital and later to the police station. Sudhakar’s father alleged his son may have been killed by his friends because Varshan knew swimming and there was no way he could have drowned.

Police registered a case of unnatural death. “The autopsy report will reveal the cause of death. Prima facie, it looks like he accidentally fell and died due to drowning,” a police officer said.

He added that Varshan’s friends who accompanied him to Nandi Hills were at the spot. “We’ll question them and record their statements. We have details about the friends and can pick them for questioning if necessary,” Vishwanathapura police said.