2 min readThiruvanananthapuramUpdated: May 30, 2026 08:42 AM IST
A young model from Delhi, Divyanshu Joshi, drowned in an abandoned stone quarry, which had turned into a deep lake, at Mudakuzha in Kerala’s Ernakulam district on Thursday.
The body was fished out on Thursday itself and after postmortem examination, it was flown to Delhi on Friday evening, said police. A case for unnatural death has been registered.
According to Kodanad police Station House Officer Sarin A S, Joshi and two others from Delhi were in Kerala in connection with the shooting of an advertisement film for a Delhi textile firm.
“The shooting of the ad video was scheduled for Friday. However, Joshi and his friends reached Mudakuzha on Thursday itself without informing their team in Kerala. They had found the location of the shooting through google search and moved to Mudakkuzha.”
“Joshi stepped into the water but soon slipped into a deep section while his two friends filmed him swimming. The quarry was dug in the shape of an inverted spiral pyramid to allow vehicle movement when it was operational. He may have slipped from one level into deeper water,” the officer said.
Mudakuzha panchayat president Shimy Varghese said the abandoned quarry had turned into a death trap several years ago. “We had prevented people from going there. A few people had drowned in the past and we had placed warning boards.”
“We do not know how they managed to reach there. We had not given any sanction for the shooting of the advertisement film, but we heard they were planning to approach the panchayat on Friday,’’ she added.
