Two men from Pune drowned at Raigad’s popular Devkund waterfall on Sunday after they allegedly ignored police warnings and entered the restricted area through an unauthorised route.Rescue teams, assisted by local divers, launched a search operation immediately after the incident. (FILE)The deceased Gopal Ramlal Rathod, from Damla Tanda in Mukhed taluka of Nanded district, and Vishnu Vilas Dhok, a resident of Jaipur village in Sengaon taluka of Hingoli district, were employed in different companies in Chakan MIDC. They were part of a group of 20 employees, including six women, who hired a minibus and travelled from Chakan MIDC to visit the waterfall.At around 12.15 pm, the group reached the Patnus T-point, where police personnel deployed for monsoon bandobast stopped them from proceeding further and instructed them to return, citing safety concerns.However, the group allegedly hired a local guide and reached Devkund via an unauthorised trail through Mhasewadi village, bypassing the police checkpoint.At around 2 pm, two members of the group, Rathod and Dhok, entered the water and drowned.Police said Dhok did not know how to swim. Preliminary information suggests that when he began drowning, he may have grabbed hold of Rathod in panic, causing both to be pulled underwater.Rescue teams, assisted by local divers, launched a search operation immediately after the incident. However, the victims could not be traced before nightfall. The search operation was suspended due to darkness and is scheduled to resume on Monday morning.