Varanasi: An 18-year-old boy drowned in Ganga while bathing at Markandey Mahadev Ghat in Kaithi under Chaubepur police station area on Wednesday morning. The body was recovered after nearly three hours of search by local divers and police.According to reports, Vaibhav Gupta, a Class XI student, resident of Cholapur, had come to Markandey Mahadev Temple with a friend and after prayers, both went to bathe in the Ganga around 10 am.As Vaibhav slipped into deep water, his friend raised an alarm, following which people nearby tried to rescue Vaibhav, but he was swept away by the strong current.Kaithi outpost in charge Pawan Rai reached the spot with a police team. A search operation was launched with the help of local divers. After prolonged efforts, Vaibhav’s body was recovered from the Ganga around 1:30 pm and was sent for post mortem. Vaibhav’s father Rajesh Gupta serves in the Army and is currently posted in Delhi. The NDRF team was informed, but local divers recovered the body before the team arrived.
