Naval officer drowns off Kovalam beach, body washes ashore near Mahabalipuram
CHENNAI: A 36-year-old Lieutenant Commander of Indian Navy, who had come down to the city to spend time with family, drowned in the sea off Kovalam on Thursday. His body washed ashore near Mahabalipuram around noon on Friday, said police.
The deceased officer was identified as JR Suresh, a Lieutenant Commander currently posted in Delhi. A couple of days ago, Suresh and family had come to his father-in-law’s house in Thoraipakkam. On Thursday, the family went to Kovalam beach and stayed at a private resort near the beach. Around 5 pm, Suresh took his family to the beach. He asked them to join him for a swim, but nobody else was interested. So he starting swimming alone while the family stayed on the shore itself.
A little while later, the family members noticed that waves were getting bigger and stronger, and asked Suresh to return to the shore. Police said Suresh tried to reach the shore but was carried away by the waves. The fishermen who heard the family members’ cries jumped into the sea to but their efforts went in vain.
Soon, rescue teams arrived there and along with the fishermen started efforts to find him. However, they could not trace him till night and had to call off the operation. On Friday morning, the Navy, too, joined the rescue operations, with a helicopter searching the sea. Around noon, the police received information that the body of a man was found on the shore in Pulikai village near Mahabalipuram. The Mahabalipuram police who went the spot informed the Kelambakkam police station. Later, Suresh’s wife Divya confirmed it was her husband.
The body was sent to the Chengalpattu government hospital for autopsy and the Kelambakkam police have registered a case.