Daijiworld Media Network

Chennai, Feb 9: A young couple's second wedding anniversary celebrations ended in a tragedy at Kottivakkam beach here, after strong waves dragged away the woman.

According to a report by The News Minute, Veni and Vignesh, both residents of Vellore, had taken a pair of rings to exchange in the sea as a symbol of their committment to each other, when strong waves dragged Veni into deep waters.

The couple along with their one-year-old son and ten relatives and friends had come to Chennai to celebrate the couple's anniversary, and were staying at a friend's house. On the night of Thursday February 6, they went out for dinner and later went to the beach.

"The two policemen on duty there warned them against going into the waters because it is not considered safe. There are infact plenty of signs on the beach saying the same," quoted an official in the Neelankarai police station to TNM. "But they fought with the police and went to the water. They even cut a cake on the shore," he added.

Despite the warnings and the strong waves crashing the shore, the couple entered the water to exchange rings. All of a sudden, a huge wave swept Veni away, while Vignesh managed to swim back to safety.

Rescue boats from a fishermen colony were immediately sent out, and after an hour's search, Veni's body was found.

The body was sent for post-mortem to the Royapettah Government Hospital.

"This is not the first time that such an incident is happening on the city's beaches," a police official told TNM. "We keep warning them against going into the water. But the minute we leave the spot to cover the rest of the perimeter they throw caution to the wind and go into the sea. We need to bring more barriers in the night, that will prevent people from entering the water."