Anandapur: Body of an engineering student, who had been missing since Sunday, was recovered from the ferry ghat of river Baitarani in Anandapur Thursday.
Locals spotted the body of missing Bailochan Samal floating near a boat at the ferry ghat and informed the fire department. The body was recovered by the fire personnel and sent to Anandapur hospital for autopsy. Bailochan was a second year student of Bhubaneswar based private engineering college.
According to reports Bailochan, son of Laxman Samal of Alang village in Jajpur town area was with his friends Bibhu Prasad Behera of Dhenkanal and Bipu Pradhan of Kainipura village. They had gone to Ghatagaon for a darshan of Maa Tarini Sunday. On their way, they stopped at Anandapur barrage to take bath.
According to the statements from Bailochan’s friends, he went into the middle of the current and asked them to take a photo of him. Somehow his waist cloth got washed away in the current and when Bailochan tried to get the cloth, the undercurrent took him as well.
The fire personnel of Anandapur and Ghasipura searched for two days but could not trace him. The next day, the flow was slowed down by shutting the barrage gates and the search operation resumed with engaging two JCB machines, unfortunately nothing worked.
The body has been taken for post mortem after which the final rites will be performed.
PNN