Hyderabad: Six days after he entered the manhole and was feared dead, the dead body of 45-year-old Anantaiah was found on Monday afternoon, the officials confirmed.
Anantaiah got into the manhole to rescue a fellow manual scavenger, 25-year Siva, who got in first and suffered breathing issues, but in vain. The incident took place last Tuesday, at around 10 pm. Both of them went missing, but Siva’s dead body was found the next morning.
Since then, efforts were ongoing to find Anantaiah’s body. First, the officials suspected that his body would be struck in a nearby manhole and dug up the pipeline using earthmovers. Then the search moved to a nearby lake with three boats hoping to fish out the body. But their efforts remained futile.
Both the Dalit scavengers died of asphyxiation.
LB Nagar MLA D Sudheer Reddy said Anthaiah’s body has been recovered and has been sent for a post mortem. The officials were able to trace his body at Sama Nagar using a Coimbatore company’s technology, by sending a camera into the sewer line.
Meanwhile, following a hue and cry from the Opposition, six officials with the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) are in the red following the incident. While three officials were suspended, three others were issued show-cause notices. The GHMC took action against these officials after a preliminary probe.