A search has been intensified on Sunday, February 4, to find the son of former Chennai Mayor Saidai Duraiswamy after his vehicle fell into the Sutluj river in Himachal Pradesh. The accident took place at Kashang Nala NH 05 on Sunday, February 4.
While the mayor’s son Vetri Duraisamy was reported missing, the driver of the vehicle has been declared dead while another person in the Himachal Pradesh-registered Innova car has been admitted to a hospital due to injuries. According to sources, Vetri was part of a film production crew that was in Himachal Pradesh.
According to a statement issued by the Himachal Pradesh Police Department, the remains of body parts of a person, which seemed like parts of a human brain, were recovered on a stone along the river bank. As the deceased did not have any head injuries, it is believed that the body parts belong to Vetri Duraiswamy. The remains have been sent to the State Forensic Science Laboratory, Junga, for DNA extraction and analysis.
“The driver of the car lost control of the vehicle. The Station House Officer of Reckong Peo Police Station, along with the QT police team, rescued Gopinath from the river side and admitted him to the Regional Hospital. He had suffered head injuries and fractures, and was referred to Indira Gandhi Medical College and Hospital in Shimla. In further rescue efforts, the team reached the vehicle lying in the stream of the Satluj river and the vehicle was pushed aside to the banks, beneath which the body of driver Tanjin was recovered and shifted to hospital,” it added.
Vetri Duraiswamy was suspected to have been swept downstream in the river. The team conducted an area search along the river banks, which had to be stopped in the evening due to adverse weather and night conditions.
On February 6, 2024, a team of Indo Tibetan Border Police and the Indian Army joined the search efforts. Search divers and a team of Navy special divers were also roped in for the rescue operation.
Meanwhile, former Chennai Mayor Saidai Duraisamy has announced a reward of Rs one crore for anyone who provides information about his missing son.