29 June,2010 10:36 AM IST | | Kaumudi Gurjar
A 21-year-old man drowned in the backwaters of Panshet dam near Rulegaon last evening. According to the police, Akram Aizaz Khan, a resident of Nana Peth, had gone for a picnic at the dam with five friends.
Akram's body was found late in the evening and taken to Sassoon hospital. The body was handed over to the family at 11.15 pm.
Akram went for a swim in the dam while his friends decided to sit nearby, said Police Constable Deshpande of Haveli police station. Deshpande, who conducted the panchnama, said that as Akram started drowning, his friends immediately tried to save him with the help of locals. They tried pulling him with a rope but he drowned in front of them.
The friends alerted the police officials at Haveli police station soon after the incident.
Constable Deshpande said Akram's friends were unconsolable and were unable to give the police much information about what had happened.
The fire brigade was alerted after the incident at 4 pm. The fire brigade officials searched the waters for nearly three-and-half hours and Akram's body was finally fished out at 7.45 pm. "Akram and his friends had gone for a picnic at Panshet. I was informed about the incident at 4 pm. By the time I reached the spot, he was nowhere to be seen." said Aizaz Khan, father of Akram. "Akram was final year student of Bachelor of Computer Administration at Azam Campus."
Khan ruled out the reports that suggested that Akram had gone swimming in the backwaters but said that he accidentally fell in the dam and drowned.
MiD DAY attempted to contact Akram's friend G Ganeshan Revati and Ramesh Riyaz Shiekh to know about the incident but their cell phones were switched off.
