A 16-year-old boy drowned in a large water-filled pit near the Ambazari Lake pump house on June 10, just one day before his seventeenth birthday. The deceased, identified as Pulkit Raj Shahadadpuri, was a resident of Jaripatka near Dayanand College. Pulkit, who had recently completed his tenth grade, had celebrated his birthday at midnight with loved ones, sharing laughter and joy as they cut his cake.
After bidding farewell to the warmth of family cele- brations, Pulkit and his friend Rishi Khemani ven- tured out for a snack at Shankar Nagar Square, only to find the eatery closed. Undeterred, they decided to spend some time near Ambazari Lake, reportedly playing PUBG on their mobile phones, unaware of the danger lurking in the darkness.
As the night wore on, they heard the sound of whistle and realised that po- lice were patrolling the area. Hastening to leave, Pulkit stumbled into a deep pit near the pump house. He could not see the pit since it was too dark.
Shocked at seeing his friend drowning, Rishi im- mediately informed Pulkit’s family and alerted the Am- bazari police.
The Ambazari Police, along with diver Jagdish Khare, worked tirelessly to recover Pulkit’s body from the murky waters. The dev- astating news left Pulkit’s family shattered, as they had been celebrating his birthday just hours before.
Pulkit’s father is a cloth merchant. The Ambazari po- lice have started an investi- gation into the incident.
There are no lights near the pump house and it is impossible for someone to spot the pit unless one is aware of its existence. Con- struction work has also been undertaken by various au- thorities in the vicinity of the Ambazari lake owing to approaching monsoon.