Body of youth who jumped into river recovered; female friend who jumped with him swam to safety

KANNUR: The body of a youth who jumped into the Valapattanam river along with a female friend has been recovered. The deceased has been identified as Raju, a native of Bekal. His female friend, a married woman, had earlier survived by swimming to safety.

The incident took place around midnight on Sunday when the duo reportedly jumped from the Valapattanam bridge. On Sunday morning, the woman's husband had filed a missing person complaint at the Bekal police station, stating that she had left home. Around the same time, the police received another complaint stating that Raju was also missing. According to police, the woman travelled to Kannur with Raju. After spending time together at various locations, they reached the bridge late at night.

With minimal traffic on the bridge at that hour, Raju is said to have jumped first, followed by the woman. She, being able to swim, was carried by the current and eventually reached near the Azhikode boat bridge. Local fishermen found her in a weakened state and brought her ashore. Authorities were promptly alerted, and she was taken for initial medical treatment before being presented in court by the Bekal police.

Following the incident, a joint search operation was launched by the fire and rescue department, the coastal police, local fishermen, and the Valapattanam police to locate Raju. His body was found in the river on Wednesday morning.