Four of family drown in Andhra Pradesh's Chittoor district

Naveen S Garewal 
Tribune News Service
Hyderabad, February 4 

Tragedy struck Madanapalle in Chittoor district of Andhra Pradesh where four persons, all females, drowned in a pond while washing clothes.

The incident occurred when the people are yet to come to terms with the murder of two daughters in the same area by their own parents under alleged influence of occult.

Police said the incident took place around 11.30 am on Thursday in the pond on the outskirts of Onturu village in Kuppam mandal of Chittoor district. All the deceased belonged to the same family. 

The victims have been identified as Rukhminibai (36), her daughter Aarti (8), Rukhminibai’s co-sister Rajeshwari (30) and her daughter Keerthi (6). 

The police said that two mothers had gone along with their daughters to the village pond to wash clothes when one small girl Keerthi slipped and fell in the pond. Her mother Rajeshwari jumped into the pond to save her daughter, but also drowned.  

The second woman Rukhminibai and her daughter Aarti also tried to save the other two but themselves were drowned in the effort. 

In a statement, the police said, “Four persons who went to wash clothes accidentally fell into a pond and drowned. A small girl aged about six years accidentally fell into the pond first and in an attempt to save that girl, her mother also drowned. The other mother and daughter too tried to save the first mother and daughter but unfortunately met the same fate.” 

Since there was no one else at the pond at that time no timely help could reach the deceased. The police have registered a case of unnatural death and are looking into the possibility of any mischief.