Two men drown while taking bath in Dhankot canal

Gurugram: Two men allegedly drowned in Dhankot canal where they had gone to take a bath on Thursday evening, Gurugram police said on Friday.

As per police, the deceased were identified as Suraj Verma (28), and Nirbhay Singh (30), both friends and residents of Basai enclave in Sector 37.

Investigators said Verma’s cousin Shivam Verma was also present with them. However, he did not go to the canal to take a bath and was watching videos on his mobile phone while sitting on the embankment.

Police said Verma and Singh went deep inside the canal and struggled to remain afloat. Verma’s cousin went into the canal in an attempt to rescue the duo but was unsuccessful.

Police said the cousin raised an alarm but by then, both of them had drowned. The police control room and district administration were alerted about the incident.

A senior police officer said the canal is about 25 feet wide and at least 10-12 feet deep. “Both the deceased didn’t know how to swim but still they went deep into the water and ended up drowning. The water level in the canal was much higher due to the recent rain. A search was launched and both the bodies were fished out from the canal,” he said.

The officer said that rescue workers performed manual chest compressions in an attempt to revive the duo, but it was too late by then.

Subhash Boken, public relations officer of Gurugram police, said that an inquiry under section 174 of the CrPC is being carried out as per the law in accidental drowning cases. “The family members of both the deceased have not suspected any foul play. The bodies were handed over to them after a post-mortem examination on Friday,” he said.

Investigators said Verma and Singh hailed from Uttar Pradesh. Verma was a native of Ghera in Pilibhit, while Singh hailed from Sitapur’s Basara. They had shifted to Gurugram a few years back to earn a livelihood., police added.