The Coimbatore District (Rural) Police on Tuesday refuted claims by some persons that incidents of drowning that occur in River Bhavani near Vanabathrakaliamman Temple in Mettupalayam are not accidental, but the handiwork of a few criminals who pull people into the water and demand money from the relatives of the victims to retrieve the bodies.
“The rumour is baseless. Till date no such instance has been reported in Mettupalayam police station,” said a statement issued by the police, a day after actor K. Bhagyaraj shared a post on ‘X’ about “mysterious and orchestrated” deaths in River Bhavani.
According to the police, a total of 20 persons had died due to accidental drowning in River Bhavani during 2022. Considering the loss of life due to the frequent drowning incidents, a special unit of 10 NDRF/SDRF trained police personnel headed by a sub-inspector, namely “Mettupalayam Life Guards” was formed on February 2, 2023.
