3 schoolboys drown in Bhiwandi lake | Mumbai news

THANE: The Varaladevi Lake, which is a water source for Bhiwandi city, has turned into a death trap. Bodies of three schoolboys, who went swimming in the lake on Wednesday, were fished out on Thursday evening, by Shanti Nagar police and a team of officers from Bhiwandi Municipal Corporation’s fire brigade department.

The deceased have been identified as Gulam Mustafa Ansari, 13, Sheikh Sahil Peer Mohammad, 10, and Dilbar Raza Shamshullah, 12. They were friends who belonged to families residing in Pirani Pada, Shanti Nagar, said police.

On Wednesday, between 1 and 1:30pm, the boys left their homes to play outside. When they did not return after a long time, their families reported their disappearance to the Shanti Nagar police, who registered a case suspecting abduction.

The search for the boys began on Thursday morning, and by the evening, locals alerted cops about the lifeless body of Gulam Mustafa floating in Varaladevi Lake. Subsequently, firefighters from Bhiwandi Municipal Corporation, and the local police initiated a search for the other two boys, whose bodies were fished out later in the night.

Preliminary information suggests the three who went for a swim, underestimating the depth of the lake, went into the deep end and drowned. The bodies have been sent to the Indira Gandhi Hospital for post-mortem. Cops have registered the case as an accidental death, while further investigation is on.