BENGALURU: Nine days after getting washed away in a stormwater drain, the body of 57-year-old Lingamma was found in a highly decomposed state near Jnanabharathi on Sunday afternoon. Lingamma and her 22-year-old daughter Pushpa were washed away on October 13 when they fell into a stormwater drain in Kurabarahalli, located about 7 km from Jnanabharathi.
While Pushpa’s body was found in an open drain in Kumbalgodu three days later, the joint rescue operation by fire and emergency personnel and State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) team members was called off after a week when Lingamma could not be found.
Around 1.30 pm on Sunday, a local resident who went to pick up some paper sheet from the small drainage adjacent to Rajakaluve discovered the body. He subsequently informed police at Jnanabharathi station.
Constable Someshekar, who is also a relative of Lingamma went to the spot and sent photos of body to Lingamma’s family members before the body was shifted to Victoria hospital for postmortem.
Lingamma’s elder daughter Shobha reached the hospital and identified the body with the help of the clothes and wound marks on her left ear and eyes.
“After seeing the body at Victoria hospital, I confirmed that she was my mother. My aunt also helped me in identifying the body. I clearly remember that my mother was wearing her favourite dark-coloured blouse on that day,” said Shobha.
Lingamma and Pushpa, residents of J C Nagar, were washed away in the drain due to strong water force. Lingamma’s husband Shivarudrappa had gone out with his grandson Abhishek at the time of the incident. Two other daughters of Lingamma were also away at work.