Maharashtra teen feared drowned in Arunachal river found dead after nine-day search

The decomposed body of a 17-year-old boy from Maharashtra, who had gone missing earlier this month after being swept away by strong river currents, was recovered from the banks of the Yomgo river in Arunachal Pradesh’s Siang district on May 11, police said.

The deceased has been identified as Prateshmesh Baswakar, son of Indo-Tibetan Border Police personnel Rahul Baswakar and a resident of the ITBP camp at Guminagar in Aalo.

Prateshmesh had gone missing on May 3 during a picnic near Bene village in West Siang district. He was feared drowned after being swept away by the powerful current of the Yomgo river.

Police said the body was discovered along the riverbank near Dama village in neighbouring Siang district by local residents, who immediately alerted authorities.

Investigating officer Sub-Inspector Lakhi Mena confirmed that the decomposed body recovered from the site was that of the missing teenager. The body was later retrieved with the assistance of Army personnel and jawans of the 20th Battalion of the ITBP.

An unnatural death case has been registered at Aalo Police Station, and further investigation is underway.

According to police, the incident occurred when a group of 10 minors had gone for a picnic near the river. Five of them reportedly approached the riverbank to shoot a video while holding hands. During the process, one of the boys suddenly jumped into the river and was swept away by the strong current.

Following the incident, a massive search operation involving ITBP personnel and local residents was launched. However, continuous rainfall and swollen river conditions significantly hampered rescue efforts over the past several days.