Mumbai:
A 13-year-old's trekking trip to Sanjay Gandhi National Park (SGNP) proved to be fatal when he entered a prohibited area yesterday evening, and slipped over a 200-ft drop.
The boy's friends immediately informed the fire control and the Kasturba Marg police who managed to retrieve the body of the boy and rushed him to Bhagwati hospital, where he was declared dead.
Around 8 friends from Chinchpada area of Borivali (E) had planned for a trek at the Kanheri caves at SGNP on Sunday. Sumeet Patel, 13, student of Std VIII, was walking back home when few of his friends who were on bikes asked him to accompany them to Kanheri caves.
Police Inspector Bhausaheb Ahire of the Kasturba Marg police station, said, "In the afternoon, they reached the caves. The spot is a picnic spot and at the top, in front of the cave, there is a waterfall and a small pond." The pond is a restricted area, and is sectioned off by a bamboo fence. "However, while the other boys were sightseeing, Sumeet went to take a bath. The guard present there stopped him at first but Sumeet did not listen," he continued.
After bathing at about 5 pm, Sumeet was sitting on the slippery rock near the pond. As he got up to walk, he lost his balance and fell into a valley 200 feet below.
The police have sent his body for post mortem. A case of accidental death has been registered.