The body of a 17-year-old boy, who had gone missing earlier this month after reportedly drowning in the Yomgo River, was recovered from a riverbank in Arunachal Pradesh’s Siang district on Monday, police said. The deceased has been identified as Prateshmesh Baswakar, son of an Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) personnel. His family was residing at an ITBP camp in Guminagar in Aalo. He had been missing since May 3 following a picnic outing near Bene village in West Siang district.
According to police, Baswakar was suspected to have drowned in the swollen Yomgo River on the day of the incident. His body was later found along the riverbank near Dama village in neighbouring Siang district.
Investigating officer Sub-Inspector Lakhi Mena confirmed that the body recovered on Monday was that of the missing teenager. Villagers from Damda reportedly spotted the body first and alerted the authorities.
Personnel from the Army and the 20th Battalion of the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) subsequently retrieved the body from the area.
Police have registered an unnatural death case at Aalo police station, and further investigation is currently underway.
Officials said the incident occurred when a group of 10 minors had gone for a picnic near the river. Five of them had approached the riverbank to shoot a video while holding each other’s hands.
“Suddenly, one of the boys jumped into the river and was swept away by the strong current,” police said.
Following the incident, a large-scale search operation involving ITBP personnel and local residents was launched. However, continuous rainfall and rising water levels in the Yomgo and nearby rivers significantly hampered rescue efforts, delaying the recovery.
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