Shock and panic spread across the Dharmasala block of Odisha’s Jajpur district on Friday evening after a 27-year-old businessman reportedly jumped off the Kayama bridge into the Kelua River.
The missing youth has been identified as Ajay Tarai, a resident of Chainihuda village under Dharmasala police limits and the son of Babuli Tarai.
According to local sources, Ajay had been under severe emotional distress due to ongoing family problems over the past few days. On Friday evening, he rode his Pulsar motorcycle to the Kayama bridge spanning the Kelua River. Eyewitnesses reported seeing the young man pull over, leave his motorcycle and slippers unattended on the bridge, and suddenly jump into the fast-flowing water below before anyone could intervene.
Panicked onlookers immediately raised an alarm and notified his family. Upon receiving the news, a team from the Dharmasala Police Station alongside local Fire Services personnel rushed to the scene to initiate an emergency rescue effort.
Specialised personnel equipped with boats and rescue gear are currently sweeping the river and downstream banks to locate Ajay. However, despite extended search efforts through difficult conditions, he remained untraced at the time of filing this report.
Police have launched an official inquiry into the circumstances leading up to the incident, and local authorities continue to search the area. Further details are awaited as search-and-rescue teams maintain their operations along the Kelua River.
