40 Days After Disappearance, Bodies of Two Friends Recovered From Pond

Bundi (Rajasthan): The 40-day search for two missing friends from Bundi district ended in tragedy after their bodies were recovered from a pond in Tonk.

Mahavir Gurjar and his friend Ramesh Gurjar, both residents of Rain village under the Dablana police station limits, had left home on January 8 in a car belonging to Mahavir’s brother-in-law, Sitaram, to visit Duni Mataji. They went missing shortly after.

A missing persons complaint was filed at Dablana police station on January 30. During the investigation, police analysed mobile call detail records (CDRs), which showed Mahavir’s phone was last active near Sitapura in Tonk district on February 3 before it was switched off. A search operation was also conducted at Runicha Dam with the help of an SDRF team, but no breakthrough was achieved.

Dablana police station in-charge Priya Vyas said that on Monday, local farmers spotted the roof of a submerged car in Ramsagar pond near Awan town in the Duni police station area of Tonk district and alerted authorities.

Police retrieved the vehicle using a crane and found the bodies of the two men inside. The bodies had decomposed significantly due to prolonged submersion.

The deceased were identified as Ramesh Gurjar, son of Jagannath Gurjar, and Mahavir Gurjar, son of Seva Gurjar, both residents of Rain village.

After the post-mortem at Tonk Hospital, the bodies were handed over to their families. As the remains reached the village in the evening, an atmosphere of grief enveloped the area. The last rites were conducted in a sombre setting.

According to police, preliminary findings suggest the car may have gone out of control and plunged into the pond. Villagers claimed the vehicle may have hit someone on the road before losing control. Police are also probing whether the men were driving under the influence at the time of the incident.