In a tragic and shocking incident, a young man from Gujarat drowned in the St Estevam river near Old Goa in the early hours of Saturday after a high-speed chase led to his car plunging into the water. The man's female companion, a student at the Goa Institute of Management, sanquelim , managed to escape the sinking vehicle and swim to safety, but her friend, Bashudev Bhandari, ( 22 ) remains missing.
The incident began around midnight at 00:45 AM, when the duo, learning in CIM sanquelim, who had rented a car for a weekend outing, found themselves involved in a minor collision in the Marel area.
According to preliminary information obtained by the Old Goa Police, the car sank into the river shortly after midnight. Firefighters, who arrived at the scene after receiving a distress call at 2;05 AM, managed to recover the submerged vehicle using a crane on Sunday afternoon. However, despite a thorough search operation involving trained divers, Bhandari has not yet been found.
Local authorities have been working around the clock to piece together the events leading up to the tragedy. Police are investigating whether the car was genuinely being chased, or if the GPS system led the duo to the ferry point by mistake. CCTV footage from the area is being reviewed to uncover more details.
The recovered car contained several personal belongings, including Bhandari's pants, a laptop, and two or three bags. However, despite these findings, the search for the missing youth continues. The incident has sent shockwaves through the local community, raising concerns about safety and the mysterious circumstances surrounding the chase.