Rajkot: The body of a 21-year-old man was recovered under suspicious circumstances from a lake at Khandheri village on Wednesday.The deceased, Jay Khambhara, wasmissing since June 26 after telling his family that he was leaving for Rajasthan with friends. His body was recovered from the lake on July 1 after an overnight search by the fire brigade.The Gandhigram police are also probing whether Jay was pushed into the lake or if any foul play was involved. A forensic postmortem has been conducted, and police said the exact cause of death will be known only after the report is received.According to police, Jay’s family was informed on Tuesday that he had fallen into the lake. They alerted the fire brigade, but as darkness hampered the search operation, rescue personnel resumed efforts on Wednesday morning and recovered his body.Preliminary investigation revealed that Jay worked at a two-wheeler showroom. Police also found that he was last seen in the company of several acquaintances, including a history-sheeter who is the son of a bootlegger.Police have questioned Jay’s friends, who told investigators that around 3am on June 30, five of them were travelling in a car in the Parapipaliya area when they believed they were being chased by unidentified persons in another vehicle. They sped away and reached an isolated spot near AIIMS Rajkot, close to the lake at Khandheri. According to their version, Jay accidentally fell into the deep water and drowned.Police sources said the friends informed both Jay’s workplace manager and the police control room after the incident. Investigators have also learnt that Jay and his friends allegedly had a habit of consuming intoxicants, and this aspect is being examined as part of the probe.Police are verifying the sequence of events narrated by the friends through technical evidence and other material.Jay was previously named as an accused in a Jan 16, 2025, case in which a group had allegedly attacked the Gandhigram police station with soda bottles. Five persons were arrested in that case, including Jay.Police said all angles, including accidental drowning and possible murder, remain open pending the forensic report.
