Mon Nov 18 05:43:26 UTC 2024: **Mangaluru Resort Owners Arrested After Three Students Drown in Pool**
MANGALURU, November 18, 2024 – The owner and manager of Vazco Beach Resort near Ullal have been arrested following the drowning deaths of three students in the resort’s swimming pool on November 17. Police Commissioner Anupam Agrawal stated that Manohar V. Puthran and Bharath have been charged with negligence under Section 106 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.
The victims, N. Keerthana (21), M.D. Nishitha (21), and S. Parvathi (20), all from Mysuru, had checked into the resort on November 16. CCTV footage shows the three entering the pool the following morning. One student experienced breathing difficulties, prompting a desperate attempt by her friends to save her, resulting in all three drowning.
Parents of the victims, who arrived in Mangaluru on November 17, reported a lack of warning signs indicating the varying depths of the pool (4 feet at the shallow end and 5.4 feet at the deep end) and the absence of lifeguards. Their complaint to the police cited negligence on the part of the resort’s owner and manager as the cause of their children’s deaths.
Following the incident, authorities have sealed the resort. The Someshwara Town Municipal Council suspended the resort’s trade license, and the Tourism Department revoked its tourism registration certificate, both citing inadequate safety measures at the swimming pool. Autopsy reports have been completed and the bodies released to the families.
First Piper 