VADODARA: A 51-year-old man drowned in the Narmada canal while trying to save his pet dog in Gorwa area in Gujarat’s Vadodara district Wednesday morning. Biju Raghunath Pillai had taken his two dogs — a German shepherd and a Husky — for a walk on Narmada canal road. Witnesses told police that one of the dogs slipped into the canal while playing along its edge.
“The German shepherd slipped into the canal. Pillai immediately jumped into the canal to save his dog. As the current was very strong, he couldn’t swim properly and drowned,” inspector M D Chaudhary of Laxmipura PS said. Inspector Chaudhary said the German shepherd was yet to be traced. “The search for the dog is underway. It is possible the dog managed to save itself, but it hasn’t been seen in the area,” he added.
Pillai used to take his dogs for walks on this road regularly. Fire brigade officials said they got a rescue call at 9.45am. “Some locals saw Pillai in the water while the husky was barking furiously. We reached the spot but Pillai had drowned by then. We pulled out the body and informed police,” a fire official said.