Malappuram: A police officer drowned in the Kunthipuzha River in Pulamanthol on Sunday while attempting to save his relative.
The deceased -- Subhishmon K S --  took charge as the Station House Officer of Koppam police station in Palakkad last month.

The police officer, hailing from Mala in Thrissur, reached the river with his four relatives, including two children, when one child started to drown. Despite being a skilled swimmer, Subhishmon was swept away by a whirlpool, said Perinthalmanna police.

Despite efforts by local people to rescue him, he was pronounced dead at Perinthalmanna District Hospital. Subishmon’s body was later shifted to Manjeri Medical College Hospital.

According to natives, the Pulinchodu shore, the area where the accident occurred, is notorious for similar incidents.