Daughters of drowned couple to return to India

Washington, December 29

The two minor daughters of an Indian-American couple, who drowned in the US, have been handed over to a family friend and will soon fly to India to their grandparents, a media report said.

The girls, aged seven and 12, were placed under the custody of the Arizona Department of Child Safety after their father Narayana Muddana (49) and mother, Haritha Muddana, along with their family friend 47-year-old Gokul Mediseti, drowned at Woods Canyon Lake in Coconino County in the US state of Arizona.

The Arizona Department of Child Safety had to be called on Monday to come out to Forest Lakes and take custody of the orphaned girls. The two girls will soon fly to India, said Venkat Kommineni, President of the Arizona Telugu Association.