2 in T’malai get caught in fishing net, drown

TIRUVANMALAI: In rare and shocking incident, two goatherds met with a watery grave after they got entwined in a fishing net while trying to save a goat kid from a lake near Tiruvannamalai on Monday night. Their bodies were recovered on Tuesday.

Sources said that Thiruvengadam (35) and Ramesh (33) were grazing their goat near a lake in Karuthuvanpadi.

Actually, the lake was under the control of PWD and no fishing rights had been given to anybody. However, local youth were in the habit of fishing in the lake by submerging nets in the water to avoid detection and action by officials.

When Thiruvengadam failed to return in the evening his relatives started searching for him in various places and lastly checked the lake where they found his body entwined in the net along with a goat.

The body of Ramesh, who also failed to return home after work on Monday, was found on Tuesday morning by relatives.

Police suspected that Thiruvengadam might have gone into the lake to save a goat, which might have been caught in the net. During the rescue effort, he too might have got caught in the net. Following this, Ramesh might have entered the water to save his accomplice and he might also have died in the same way.

Tiruvannamalai taluk police sent the bodies to the Tiruvannamalai Government Medical College Hospital for post-mortem. A case has been registered and investigations are on.