Body of Missing Teenager Recovered from Yomgo River in Arunachal Pradesh

Aalo, May 12: The body of a 17-year-old boy from Maharashtra, who had gone missing after reportedly drowning in the Yomgo River earlier this month, was recovered from a riverbank in Arunachal Pradesh’s Siang district on Monday, police said.

Security personnel and rescue teams recover the body of a 17-year-old boy from the Yomgo River in Arunachal Pradesh’s Siang district after he reportedly drowned during a picnic earlier this month.

The deceased was identified as Prateshmesh Baswakar, son of ITBP personnel Rahul Baswakar and a resident of the ITBP camp at Guminagar in Aalo, West Siang district.

According to police, the teenager had gone missing on May 3 while attending a picnic near Bene village in West Siang district. He was suspected to have been swept away by the strong currents of the Yomgo River during the outing.

Investigating Officer Sub-Inspector Lakhi Mena confirmed that the body recovered near Dama village in neighbouring Siang district was that of Baswakar. He said local residents first spotted the body on the riverbank and immediately informed the police.

The retrieval operation was jointly carried out by personnel of the Indian Army and the 20th Battalion of the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP).

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Police have registered an unnatural death case at Aalo Police Station, and further investigation into the incident is underway.

Officials said the incident occurred when a group of 10 minors had gone for a picnic in the area. Five members of the group reportedly approached the riverbank to record a video while holding hands.

During the process, one of the boys entered the river and was swept away by the strong current, police said.

Following the incident, an extensive search and rescue operation was launched with assistance from ITBP personnel and local residents. However, continuous rainfall and rising water levels in the Yomgo River and nearby streams reportedly hampered rescue efforts over the past several days.