A car carrying three police personnel plunged into the Shipra river on Saturday night in Madhya Pradesh’s Ujjain.

The body of Unhel police station in-charge, Ashok Sharma, was recovered from the river on Sunday morning after a 12-hour-long search operation. Police suspect that the two other officers also drowned in the incident.

Sharma had come to Ujjain with Sub-Inspector Madanlal and a woman constable, Aarti Pal, for a case investigation. The three were returning to Unhel when their car fell into the river.

Their phones had been switched off since Saturday night, with the last mobile location showing the Shipra bridge.

The accident occurred near the big bridge close to Ramghat, where the absence of a railing made the spot more dangerous. Witnesses said the car, a white Creta, sank deep into the strong currents.

“A white car plunging into the river on a bridge was reported. The incident occurred around 8:45 pm… The water flow is strong, making it difficult to determine the number of occupants or their condition. Onlookers and on-duty police suggest that there were at least two people in the car, with the windows closed; however, this has not yet been confirmed. Multiple SDRF teams are preparing to go down to locate the car…” said Ujjain SP Pradeep Sharma.

The National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), police, home guards, and local divers launched a rescue operation, which resumed early Sunday morning. However, the strong flow of the river continues to hamper the search.

The car has not yet been traced even after over 12 hours of operations.

– Ends