Bodies of drowned Indian techie, son being taken to India

The bodies of an Indian techie and his three-year-old son who drowned in the community pool in Michigan city last week, are being taken to India and will reach on Tuesday.

The victims were identified as 31-year-old Nagaraju Surepalli and his son Ananth. Their bodies were found in a swimming pool at the Glens of Northville apartment complex in Michigan city last Tuesday, CBS Detroit reported.

Surepalli was from Andhra Pradesh's Guntur city and was in the US for the past three years along with his mother, wife Bindu and son Ananth. He was working for Infosys as a software engineer.

Novi police chief David Malloy said the victims, who are residents of India, were out enjoying the day when the tragedy occurred. An employee of the complex had called 911 after seeing two bodies floating in the complex's pool.

'The dad had taken the child to the pool. They were not intending to swim, they were just going to sit by the pool, and that was evidenced by what we found at the scene,' Malloy told CBS Detroit.

'They were not dressed in swim attire.'

Police said the boy fell into the pool while riding his tricycle. The father jumped into to rescue his son and drowned. There was no lifeguard, and the pair were not experienced swimmers.

The family's friends and Surepalli's Infosys colleagues started an online fundraiser so that the bodies could be sent back to India, said the report.

Friends described Surepalli 'one of the most jovial, honest, friendly person you would ever meet and always smiling'.

'The bodies will be airlifted to India along with Surepalli's wife Bindu and her relatives,' a recent update on the fundraiser site said.

--IANS

soni/vt