‘Give me money first,’ Indian official dies as diver asks for payment before attempting rescue
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A health official from the northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh (UP) drowned and died in the raging Ganga River after a diver coldly demanded money before attempting a rescue. The official, identified as Aditya Vardhan Singh, had gone to the river on August 31 with his friend Pradeep Tiwari. Aditya then slipped and fell into the river near the Nana Mau Ghat in the Kanpur district.
His friend hurriedly arranged for a local diver to rescue the health official but shockingly, he asked for an upfront payment of INR 10,000 (US$119). Even though Tiwari instantly transferred the amount, the official couldn’t be saved as it was too late by then.
Following the incident, police launched a massive search operation for the deputy director of the Uttar Pradesh Health Department. Police said the dead body of the official is yet to be recovered.
“The local administration carried out rescue operations on a war footing to find him but these have turned out to be unfruitful. Searches are still underway to locate his remains,” an official told local media.
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According to the Indian national daily Dainik Bhaskar, search teams from NDRF, SDRF and PAC have tracked 45km of the area over the last six days and through at least 144 hours, but to no avail.
Police said the official’s wife, a judge in Maharashtra, and his brother, an IAS in Bihar, were promptly informed about the unfortunate incident.
(With inputs from agencies)