21-year-old Kiran Chandramouli had gone to the lake in the early hours of Saturday along with his batchmate Nikhila Mallimadugula, 20, and Shaunak Mahbubani, a fourth year computer science student
While rescue teams had recovered Nikhila's body by Saturday evening, they had called off the search for Kiran's body on account of inclement weather and fading light. The trio had taken a paddle boat tethered to the bank for a ride between 1.45am to 2am, not realizing that the boat has a hole. As water gushed in, they panicked and fell overboard. Only Shaunak managed to swim ashore. He informed the police around 3am.
SP MB Boralingaiah said while Mallimadugula Ramakrishna, father of Nikhila, a resident of Banjara Hills, Hyderabad claimed his daughter's body, KS Chandramouli and his wife Vijaya Banu, residents of HAL Layout, third stage, Bangalore claimed the body of their son Kiran.
The parents of both students reached Manipal late on Saturday and left for their respective cities during the day after all legal formalities were completed, SP added.
Sadananda Tippannanavar, Police Inspector, Manipal Police Station said rescue teams have not salvaged the boat from the lake. Describing the incident as tragic, SP said instruction has been given to personnel of Manipal police station on night rounds to pay due attention to movement of people in vicinity of the lake. "We will take up the matter with college authorities and request them to post security personnel at the lake entrance," he said.
Asked if police suspected any foul play in the incident, SP said no one has come up with any information that would make the department feel so.
There were a few who questioned the presence of students at the lake at an unearthly hour, SP said.
"Shaunak told me that it was a collective and almost simultaneous decision on part of the three to go on a boating ride," SP said. A case of unnatural death report has been registered at Manipal police station.
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