Mohali, March 18 — A 14-year-old boy who had been missing since Holi (March 14) was found dead in a pond near Jhampur kaccha bridge late Sunday night, police said.
The boy’s family stated he had left home to celebrate Holi, saying he would return by noon. When he didn’t, they launched a search but couldn’t locate him. CCTV footage later showed him walking toward a nearby farmhouse. His father said the boy’s slippers were found near the farmhouse, and some workers claimed they had seen him heading toward the bridge.
“We are not sure if he accidentally fell into the pond,” the father said, adding that the family had no enmity with anyone in the village.
According to Kharar DSP Karan Sandhu, the boy’s slippers were spotted near the pond by some locals who had gone there for a bath. “Passersby mentioned seeing him running toward the pond after Holi celebrations. However, with no CCTV at the spot, we cannot confirm the circumstances of his drowning,” Sandhu said.
The body was sent to Kharar Civil Hospital for a postmortem. Police said further investigation will depend on the autopsy findings.
