Macwan's parents, however, suspect foul play in the incident. ``His classmates who accompanied him to Mahisagar on April 1 displayed criminal behaviour by trying to destroy evidence and hiding his clothes in Sindhrot on the other side of the river, misleading us for two days'', Arul's father A P Macwan said, pointing out that if the boys accompanying him were innocent, they should have informed the family of the tragedy immediately.

Macwan quoted one of the boys interrogated by the police to say that his son had initially refused to enter the water but had been coaxed into doing so.

Arul, who had just finished his Class X examinations, had left his house for a hair cut at 10.30 a.m. on Thursday. However, he rang his parents around noon seeking permission to watch a film with his friends. Macwan said that when Arul did not return till 5 p.m., they assumed he had gone for his typing class. Then, since it was a holy Thursday, he might have directly proceeded to church for attending special prayers.

``But we were really worried when he did not return till 9.30 p.m. when all the family members had returned from church'', Macwan said, adding that he then made calls to his classmates and friends but got no clue. ``I searched for him at the railway station, the ST bus stand and all the cinema halls but in vain. We went to the Sayajigunj police station at 2 a.m. and they asked us to wait till morning'', Macwan said.

``Though Arul's friends met me and tried to help me in his search, they didn't say anything about going to Mahisagar. However, the father of one of the boys told me that my son had drowned; I informed the police, who recovered the body and clothes'', Macwan stated.

The case has been transferred to the Anand police for further investigation because the place where the body was found falls within their jurisdiction.