The deceased, Suresh Kumar Dubey (35), was posted at the Madiyaon police station and lived in Hassanganj. At 7 am, local fishermen noticed Dubey in the river and pulled him out. He was dead by then. The locals then informed the police. Dubey is survived by his wife and two children. The body was handed over to his family after the postmortem was conducted.

Lucknow SSP Akhil Kumar said: “Dubey had called on his wife’s mobile just before he died. There were 28 missed calls on her phone. But as she was sleeping and the mobile was in the silent mode, she did not receive the calls.”

Shiv Kumar, a local, said that he had seen Dubey drowning. “I was passing by the river bank. At 7 am, I heard a loud splash and saw someone drowning. I screamed for help and a few fishermen jumped into the river to save him,” said Kumar.

According to reports, Dubey was released from duty at 5 am and had left for home. “He was on mobile duty and used to live in the police quarters of the Hassanganj police station,” said Arun Prashad, SP (Trans Gomti).