Daijiworld News Network - Karkala (MB)

Karkala, Jan 13: One of the eight students from different colleges who had bunked classes and gone on a picnic to Jomlutirtha near Hebri here met a watery grave on Thursday.

Jomlutirtha, which has already claimed the lives of several picnicking students over the past years, is a favourite haunt for the youth. Not much has been done by authorities to develop the place into a suitable and safe tourist spot.

The youngster who drowned on Thursday has been identified as Prithviraj (18), a student of II PUC (Commerce) at St Joseph's College, Bajpe and son of K Gangadhar of Kuntikan, Mangalore. He had left home saying he was going to college, said the police sources.

Sadananda Poojary and Narayan Naik of the locality took the initiative to fish out his body.

The eight students who had bunked classes and gone on a picnic in a private vehicle to Jomlutirtha were from Sharada Vidyalaya, St Aloysius and Canara College, Mangalore and only the deceased was from outside the city.

Hebri police sub inspector C A Siddalingaiah has regisetered a case in this regard.