The bodies of two fishermen who had gone missing after venturing into the Hemavati backwaters near Janardhana village in the Kodlipet region were recovered on Sunday following an extensive search operation.
The deceased have been identified as Nagaraj (45) and Shivaraj (50), both residents of Neergunda village.
Personnel of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), who had been conducting search operations since the men were reported missing, recovered the bodies from the water on Sunday afternoon.
Virajpet MLA Dr. Mantar Gowda, Somwarpet Tahsildar Murthy, and officials of the Shanivarasante Police Station visited the spot and inspected the search operations.
Following post-mortem examinations conducted at the Somwarpet Government Hospital, the bodies were handed over to the respective family members. Dr. Mantar Gowda and Tahsildar Murthy met the bereaved families at the site and conveyed their condolences.
According to police, Nagaraj and Shivaraj had gone fishing in the river on Thursday night. When they failed to return home, their family members began searching for them. During the search, they found only a raincoat, a bag containing a fishing net and a pair of slippers on the riverbank, raising fears that the two had drowned.
Based on a complaint, the Shanivarasante Police registered a case and initiated an investigation. Further action is underway.
