RITU JHA
The father and family friends of a 12-year-old Indian-American boy who got washed away at Cowell Ranch State Beach in Half Moon Bay, California have announced a reward to help find him after the United States Coast Guard gave up the search.
Arunay Pruthi (in photograph above), a 7th grader at BASIS Fremont Internationals, California, was swept away by the sea on January 18.
The Pruthi family was enjoying the Martin Luther King Day holiday and they were sitting close to the sea when a large wave engulfed Arunay, his 8-year-old brother, and his father, Tarun.
Luckily the father and the younger son survived but since then there is no trace of Arunay.
“The Search for Arunay Pruthi is offering a reward of $25,000 to any boater, pilot, diver who locates Arunay,” the family has announced with a flyer.
The flyer released Wednesday urges anyone with specialized equipment like boats, sonars, planes, submersible, diving/scuba gear to help.
“Please do so now as time is essential. We will independently fund any effort needed to recover the way down to Southern California, to keep searching for him,” the flyer says.
The family has also started a petition on Change.org, urging the Coast Guard to not give up on the search for Arunay.
The petition had received 63,154 signatures till Thursday morning, the target is 70,000.
The petition states: “We are confident that he is still alive because Arunay is an excellent swimmer and would like your help to save this child’s life.
“Many more events like this could happen,” it adds.
“We would like your help to prevent this from happening in the future. Your support can help make a difference in the life of both a family and a 12-year-old boy with many more to come. Please join us in helping Arunay Pruthi, as every pair of eyes out there matter! Remember, a small amount from everyone can help save his life.”
A Gofundme page has also been set up and they have raised $145,231. The goal is to reach $250,000 to fund the search.
Rosemerry Blankswade, public information officer at the San Mateo County Sheriff’s Office, told indica News that they were “still hopeful” about finding Arunay.
