Palghar (Maharashtra), Aug 27 (IANS): Mystery shrouds the death of three missing students of a prominent residential school here whose bodies were found floating in a flooded drain Wednesday.

The students - studying in Class IX - of the Gurukul International School in Vagad near Virar had been reported missing since Monday, after they reportedly failed to perform upto expectations in the exams, police said Wednesday.

The trio, identified as Meet S. Dhadvi, Praful N. Patel and Kushal N. Dadha, belonging to business families in Mumbai, were last seen near the busy Manor area on the Mumbai-Ahmedabad highway Monday.

Police confirmed that the school authorities had lodged a missing persons complaint about the three boys - all aged 14 years - later that day.

According to preliminary investigations, police have learnt that the trio had scored low marks in their examinations and were scolded and punished by a couple of teachers.

This may have prompted them to sneak out of the school campus, but the discovery of the bodies, bloated after having remained in the water for several hours, continues to baffle police, who have registered an 'accidental death' case.

The bodies have been sent for an autopsy and its outcome could give a fresh direction to police investigation.

Meanwhile, a school management official said strict action would be taken against the teachers if any of them are found guilty.

In a related development, scores of anxious parents of other students rushed to the school from Mumbai and other places today to check on the well being of their wards.