KOCHI: Fire and Rescue Service diving team on Tuesday recovered the body of a Tamil Nadu native who drowned in the Periyar at Pathalam. The deceased is Ramaswamy, 38, who went to the river for taking bath on Monday night.
According to the police, it was around 10.30 pm on Monday the accident occurred as Ramaswamy and his wife Pandishwary went to the river for taking a bath. A daily-wage worker and the father of three children, he has been staying in Kochi for the past 10 years.
“We suspect the deceased person was under the influence of alcohol. Even though his wife warned him not to venture into the water, ignoring it he swam afar. However, under the influence of alcohol, he got exhausted soon and was caught in the undercurrents,” an officer with the Eloor police station said.
Thought the wife of the deceased alerted the residents nearby, Ramaswamy could not be traced. The Fire and Rescue Service officials conducted a search operation late at night but his body was not found. Later, a nine-member diving team launched an underwater search operation on Tuesday morning. After an hour-long search, the body of Ramaswamy was recovered.
The body was shifted to Ernakulam Medical College Hospital for postmortem. In the evening, the body was released to the relatives. The police have registered a case for unnatural death.