A picnic turned into a tragedy as a man and his 12-year-old son drowned in Zilpi Lake in the Hingna area on Monday morning. The family of four - husband, wife and their two sons - had gone to the lake to celebrate the birthday of their younger son, police officials said. The deceased are identified as Abdul Asif Abdul Gani Sheikh (35) and his son Abdul Chahbil Abdul Asif (12). According to police, the family is resident of Tipu Sultan Chowk in Yashodhara Nagar Area. They had gone to the lake on a motorcycle at around 11 am. Before celebrating the birthday, Abdul and his son Chahbil ventured into the waters for swimming while Abdul’s wife Asma (30) and their younger son were waiting on the banks of the lake.

 

After swimming for a while, Abdul and Chahbil stuck in the mud. While drowning into the water, they raised an alarm for help. As no one was present near the lake, Asma immediately ventured into the waters. Before she could reach upto Abdul, she also struck in the mud and started drowning. Some fishermen and herdsmen noticed the incident and ran towards the spot.

 

They managed to save Asma and took her to the banks of the lake. However, Abdul and Chahbil disappeared in the water. Staff of Hingna Police Station led by WPI Sapna Kshirsagar rushed to the spot and sent the bodies for post-mortem. An eye-witness informed that Asma and her younger son were unconscious for some time after the incident. A large number of villages also gathered to the spot after the news spread in the area. A case of accidental death was registered by Hingna police. Further investigation is on.