Three days after Pithapuram Assistant Engineer K. Nooka Raju and his family jumped into the Godavari River, his wife and daughter remain missing. While the engineer’s body was retrieved hours after the jump and his 10-year-old grandson was rescued shortly after the incident, the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) and Rajamahendravaram police report that search operations for the two women are in progress.

“We have not traced Meena and Sowjanya who had been missing since they attempted to end their lives by jumping into the river Godavari on August 16,” South Division Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) A. Siva Priya told The Hindu.

“The search in the river is still in progress during the daytime between Road-cum-Rail bridge, from where the family members jumped into the river, and Sir Arthur Cotton Barrage (SACB) at Dowleswaram,” she said, adding that there is no chance of the missing women washing away downstream the SACB as its gates are shut.

In Kakinada, PRO Rifle Shooting Academy Founder SK. Sadhik Khan, the prime suspect who reportedly drove the engineer’s family to end their lives, has been absconding. An abetment to suicide case has been registered against him.

Kakinada Superintendent of Police G. Bindu Madhav has said that the search for Mr. Khan is under way and he is still absconding.

Published - August 19, 2026 09:15 pm IST