Bajpe: A man who was  making  a door-to-door sale of medicines and was quite popular as a traditional healer (Naati Vaidya) met a watery grave in a pond at Pallipadi Poyyemajalu in Badagabellur village on Thursday July 17 afternoon.

The deceased has been identified as Thomas Mascarenhas (65), who hailed from Farangipete but resided in  Lorettopadavu. The mishap is learnt to have occurred when Thomas who had come to provide herbal medicines to someone at Pallippade had gone near the pond to wash his legs. It is suspected that he slipped to death.

Some locals who saw the body floating in the water informed the Bantwal Rural Police. The body was retrieved with the help of locals. Thomas is survived by three daughters and a son.