Team Herald
PANJIM: Even after 72 hours, the team of Fire and Emergency Services (FES) and Goa Coastal Police failed to locate the 22-year-old youth Bashudev Bhandari from Bharuch, Gujarat, who was feared drowned in a river at St Estevam.
According to Station Fire Officer, Old Goa, R D Parab said a team of 12 personnel from Fire and Emergency Services (FES) and Goa Coastal Police carried out the search operation on the third day.
“We carried out the search operation today too. The search under the leadership of Leading Fire Fighter Sunny Gawade began in the morning and ended at around 4 pm. The search operation is challenging as the river infested by crocodiles,” he said, adding that the search will continue on Wednesday.
It may be recalled that Bashudev went missing following a ‘high-speed chase’ of his rent-a-car which plunged into the water. He was travelling along with his female companion, a native of Unjha, Gujarat, studying in the Goa Institute of Management (GIM), Sankhali. However, his female companion managed to swim to safety.
According to the Old Goa Police, the rent-a-car, which the duo had hired for a weekend outing, was involved in a minor accident with another vehicle at Marcela, at around 12.45 am.
In a desperate attempt to flee, the duo sped away, only to be chased by an unidentified vehicle. As the chase continued, Bashudev panicked, and drove the car onto a ferry ramp and later landed into the river at St Estevam.