On Wednesday evening, the body of a 19-year-old girl from Seawood was discovered in DPS lake, leaving the community stunned and searching for answers.

According to the police, Fishermen out on the lake made a grim discovery, spotting the body and promptly notifying the authorities. The deceased was later identified as Bhavika More, a junior college student from Nerul, who was reportedly in a romantic relationship with 22-year-old Swastik Patil from Panvel.

"Preliminary investigations suggest that the girl's death was caused by strangulation, but we await the post-mortem report to confirm the exact cause of death," a police officer stated. Review of CCTV footage revealed that the couple was seen heading towards the lake on a two-wheeler around 4 pm, but notably, the boy was not seen returning, raising suspicions about his involvement in the incident.

Based on the evidence, it is suspected that the boy may have also jumped into the lake after strangling the girl. However, due to the lake's connection to the creek, the body may have been carried away, and we may need to wait for it to resurface. Our search operations are currently underway," the officer explained. A team of police officials from the NRI Coastal police station and crime branch rushed to the scene upon receiving news of the incident.

Police investigations suggest that the couple was in a relationship, and a possible altercation between them may have led to the tragic incident. However, the exact circumstances and motives behind the events cannot be confirmed since both individuals are deceased. The girl has a sister and mother while the father had passed away. Her family operates a photo studio for their livelihood. Meanwhile, the boy, Swastik Patil, was employed at a medical store in Panvel, and his father works in the construction industry.

Police have located and notified the families of both Swastik Patil and Bhavika More about the incident, and reportedly, they were not aware of the couple's relationship. As the investigation unfolds, a First Information Report (FIR) is being filed at the NRI Coastal police station, with formalities currently underway.