Boy missing for three days found dead

KALIKOT, May 31: The dead body of a boy, missing since Tuesday while swimming in the Tila River, has been found.

Ganesh Nepali, the Chief District Officer (CDO), confirmed that the Armed Police Force (APF) diving team from Surkhet, deployed in Kalikot, found the dead body. The deceased is identified as  Hikmat Bam, 14, from Tilagufa-7.

"A diving team initiated a search operation on Thursday morning after arriving from Surkhet the previous day. The deceased was found in the river," stated CDO Nepali. "Locating the deceased would have been challenging without the arrival of the diving team."

CDO Nepali added that despite efforts by the police and relatives to locate the body, they were unsuccessful. Then, the diving team was summoned to aid in the search operation.

The boy had gone missing after being swept away while swimming in the Tila River near Tilagufa-6 Galje around 2 PM on Tuesday. He was an 8th grader at Satya Devi Secondary School in Kalikot. His father, Narendra Bam, hailed from Chapre, Tilagufa-5, and operated an eatery in the municipality.

Police reported that the diving team, led by Inspector Kamal KC of the APF, retrieved the body from the Tila River. The body was then handed over to the relatives under the supervision of local authorities.