Five, including 4 siblings, drown in Siddara Betta pond

Five persons including two women drowned in a pond in Siddara Betta near Dobbespet on Saturday afternoon, as a weekend getaway to a local dargah (shrine) turned tragic.

The deceased have been identified as Usman Khan (14), Yaarab Khan (21), Reshma (22), Mubeen Taj (21), all four siblings, and their neighbour Muneer Khan (49).

The mother of the four children, Shakeela, called up the police control room and informed about the incident following which police rushed to the spot.

According to the police, a group of six people from Hegde Nagar (Thanisandra main road) had gone to visit a dargah situated at the Siddarabetta in two auto-rickshaws. After finishing their prayers, the group also cooked food and finished their lunch around 12 noon.

Between 12 and 12.30pm, 14-year-old Usman ventured near a pond situated near the shrine and accidentally fell into it. His brother Yaarab, who saw his little brother drowning, jumped into the water but struggled to stay afloat as he didn’t know how to swim.

Next, the brothers’ sisters Reshma and Mubeen Taj followed suit, jumping into the water even though the girls didn’t know how to swim. Seeing the four in peril, their neighbour Muneer Khan also ventured into the water and began drowning.

It was at this moment that Shakeela realised that she should call the police and informed the police control room, who in turn alerted the Fire and Emergency Services.

Before rushing to the spot, the police alerted nearby villagers who rushed to the spot and searched for the victims. Later, the police arrived and started fishing the bodies out of the pond.

Bengaluru District Superintendent of Police Ram Niwas Sepat visited the spot and instructed the district administration to fence the pond and put up boards warning visitors not to venture into the pond. The Dobbespet police have taken up a case of five unnatural deaths and are investigating further.