Gurgaon: Nearly 24 hours after a 21-year-old student went missing, he was found dead in a canal near Budhera.While police suspect it to be a case of drowning, the family has alleged foul play and questioned the circumstances leading to his death.Mohan, a third-year BSc nursing student of SGT University and a native of Hindol village in Charkhi Dadri, was staying in the university hostel for the past two years.Police said Mohan went to the canal with three friends on the night of July 15. During questioning, the friends told investigators they went swimming after consuming alcohol. The family, however, maintained that Mohan did not know how to swim.A senior police officer said, “Prima facie, it appears to be a case of drowning. We believe Mohan entered the canal alone while carrying his clothes and mobile phone. We are verifying all facts, searching the canal for the missing belongings and questioning the friends. The investigation is continuing.”According to his family, he would often stay at a friend’s PG accommodation. The family has also questioned why they were not informed immediately after Mohan went missing. “His friends returned to their PG after he disappeared. Why didn’t they inform us or the police?” Mohan’s father Yogesh asked. A police officer said the friends informed the police the following morning.“My son’s slippers were found near the canal, but his clothes and mobile phone were missing. I received a call from a police officer around 10.30am on July 16 informing me that my son had met with an accident and asking me to come to the Budhera police post. His body was recovered only in the evening, between 7.30pm and 8pm, and he was wearing only a pair of shorts,” Yogesh, an advocate in Charkhi Dadri, said.Investigators searched a 500-700-metre stretch of the canal throughout the day and also checked an iron grill installed downstream, but the body was not found during the initial search.The family said Mohan returned to the university on July 6 after visiting home and continued attending classes until July 15. However, university authorities told investigators that he was not staying in the hostel since July 6. Police are verifying his movements and attendance records.One of Mohan’s friends, Ankit, told police that he last spoke to him around 8.30 pm on July 15. “I asked him to bring some belongings, but he said he would return in about half an hour. After that, we could not contact him. He never picked fights with anyone and mostly kept to himself,” Ankit said.Police are awaiting the autopsy report, which was conducted by a board of doctors, while questioning his friends to establish the sequence of events.
