SHILLONG: The body of a woman found floating at Ward’s Lake on Wednesday morning has shocked the nearby residents.
Passers-by noticed the body and informed the police who fished out the body.
Ward’s Lake is a known tourist spot in the city but very often security is breached resulting in unnatural deaths in the Lake.
The body was identified as that of Malti Sharma (47), wife of Keshav Bahadur of Raj Bhavan Complex.
Terming it as a drowning case, police handed over the body to the victim’s brother-in-law after post-mortem.
When contacted, Rajkumar Sharma, brother-in-law of the victim, informed that the victim had told her husband at around 1.30 am on Wednesday that she was going to the toilet.
“After 15-20 minutes when she was not found, everyone at home was concerned and later we checked the entire place and even the vicinity of the Lake, but we could not trace her,” Sharma said, adding that they approached the police in the morning.
SP (City) Vivek Syiem said that initial investigation indicated that it was a suicide case but added that the post-mortem report would provide details. Police have, so far, not been able to ascertain the motive behind the suspected suicide.
This is not the first instance that people have committed suicide at Ward’s Lake by jumping from the bridge that connects the Lake with Oakland.
A few residents of the area informed that since the path (bridge) remains open and is without any gate, the area has become a safe haven for miscreants.
They have sought additional security in and around the Lake to ensure the safety of the people.
Asked about the security at Ward’s Lake, Syiem said that police were conducting patrolling in different areas but it was an impossible task to cover all the areas.
The city police are now planning to approach the concerned authorities to ensure that proper fencing or wall is constructed in the open areas to deter any future suicide attempt.
The Ward’s Lake is manned and maintained by the Forest, Tourism and Fishery departments.
A Forest official admitted that there a lone chowkidar is kept on night duty for security at Ward’s Lake. “Police personnel from Sadar police station are also deputed to patrol the area,” he added.