HYDERABAD: As many as 100 rescue personnel were part of a massive search operation to trace a 55-year-old woman who went missing in the city on Sunday. The operation, involving expert swimmers and a drone, failed to yield any results on Monday and will continue on Tuesday.
It is alleged that the woman, Laxmi, fell into the Hussainsagar nala in Damodaram Sanjeevayya Nagar, under Gandhi Nagar police station limits. She has three daughters but has been living alone since the youngest one’s wedding. On Sunday, one of her daughters tried calling her, but when no one picked up, she became worried. She then arrived at the house and realised that Laxmi had gone missing.
Her distress was compounded by the fact that Laxmi had been complaining about a leaking roof and the absence of a toilet in their house for the past two years. She informed the police, who swung into action and formed three DRF teams comprising 100 members.
Along with police personnel and expert swimmers, DRF teams scoured the nala where she is alleged to have fallen. She had repeatedly mentioned the dire need for a toilet, making her daily routine a challenge, to her daughters. Additionally, due to the recent heavy rains, her house, located at the corner of the lane, was positioned above the nala, and a section of the corner wall had collapsed.
Sources said broken bangles were found near the corner of her house, signalling that she might have fallen into the nala. Additionally, the police also noted that she had prepared rice for her lunch and had her phone on charge. Police have registered a missing persons case in the matter.
Stating that a drone has been deployed to locate the missing woman, Enforcement Vigilance and Disaster Management (EVDM) director N Prakash Reddy said the search operation covered a length of approximately 10 kilometres, from Kavadiguda to Golnaka. Given that her whereabouts remained unknown as of Monday evening, the search efforts would continue into the following day, he added.
Meanwhile, the city experienced heavy rains that led to two retaining walls collapsing, one in Gowri Shankar Nagar colony in Banjara Hills and another in Madhapur on Monday. However, no casualties were reported in these incidents.