By Sunita

Pune: The body of a man, who was washed away in a strong current at a pond in Plus Valley at Tamhini Ghat in the Nive area of Mulshi taluka on Saturday, was found on Monday (July 1).

The deceased identified as Swapnil Dhawde (38), a resident of Bhosari, was a retired Army man. He was a national-level boxer and the husband of another national-level pugilist, Rashmi Dhawde, who is serving in the Pimpri Chinchwad Police Force. The District Administration has appealed to tourists to observe caution while on a picnic during the monsoon.

Swapnil and his 32 friends from a gym were visiting the area on Saturday (June 29). Swapnil dived into the pond at Plus Valley to swim. He could not gauge the speed of the water current and was swept away into another pond located at 50 feet depth. Since then a rescue team was searching for him for three consecutive days.

As it continued to rain,  water level in the pond increased and it started flowing downstream when the Mangaon Disaster Management and Shelar Mama Rescue team located his body in the Devkund waterfall area in the Raigad district.

The search operation was carried out continuously for three days in adverse conditions due to heavy rainfall and slippery terrain. The Paud Police, Mangaon Disaster Management, Shelar Mama Rescue Team, Tamhini Forest Department, Mulshi Disaster Management Team, Shivdurg Team, and Lonavala Friends Circle participated in the search operation in Plus Valley and Devkund Waterfall areas. Finally, the body was traced on the third day.