Hyderabad: An 18-year-old undergraduate student, Vaishnavi, drowned while practising swimming at a private pool in Old Alwal on Sunday evening, police said. Following a complaint by her family, Alwal police registered a case of negligence against the pool owner and the swimming coach.At around 5.50 pm on Feb 22, Vaishnavi allegedly drowned while swimming at VV Swimming Pool in Ayyappa Nagar Colony, Alwal, where she attended daily classes. Her friends present at the pool alerted the staff, who pulled her out and rushed her to a nearby private hospital.“Vaishnavi was declared brought dead at the hospital. She had enrolled for swimming classes on Feb 1. Prima facie, it appears that she drowned while swimming. The exact cause of death can only be ascertained after the postmortem report is released,” Alwal SI A Raghavendar Reddy said.Police said CCTV footage from the pool showed the victim suddenly collapsing while standing in three feet-deep water. “There were more than half a dozen others in the pool at the time of the incident, and staff were also present. Initially, everyone thought she was swimming, but as she did not move even after one or two minutes, Vaishnavi’s friend, who was outside the pool, alerted the staff. They pulled her out and rushed her to the hospital,” Malkajgiri DCP Ch Sridhar said.Vaishnavi, a native of Jagdevpur in Siddipet district, was pursuing her first-year degree at Loyola College. She was staying at a private hostel in Sai Baba Nagar in Old Alwal. According to her sister, Kiranmai Sirvi, Vaishnavi was a competent swimmer and maintained good health.The pool staff told the family that Vaishnavi might have suffered a cardiac arrest, but the family disputed the claim. “Vaishnavi was fit and a well-trained swimmer. We suspect that the death occurred due to the negligence of the coach and pool staff. Please register a case against the concerned coach and other staff,” the victim’s sister alleged in her complaint.Based on the complaint, Alwal police registered a case under Section 106(1) (causing death due to negligence), read with Section 3(5) (common intention) of the BNS, against the coach and the owner of the VV Swimming Pool on Sunday night.The body was handed over to the family after the postmortem on Monday. “At the time of the incident, the victim’s two friends from the hostel were also present at the pool. We are recording their statements. CCTV footage from the pool has been collected, and the statements of the owner and staff will also be recorded as per procedure. We will also seek details from the GHMC to ascertain whether the pool owner has the necessary permissions,” the SI said.
