About two million liters of water was released from the Kherkatta dam in India to find an official’s phone that fell into the water. He was suspended from his duties.

Rajesh Vishwas is ready to do anything to find his lost smartphone. Visiting the Kherkatta dam in the Indian state of Chhattisgarh, this Indian official dropped his phone into the water while taking a selfie. He did not hesitate to drain millions of liters of water to find the tool.

In a video statement published by Indian media, Rajesh Vishwas explained that he initially called divers, who failed to find the property. He then decided to use two diesel pumps and empty about two million liters of water. Enough to irrigate 600 hectares of agricultural land, he explained BBC.

Described as a food hygiene inspector, the man justified his actions by explaining that his phone contained sensitive government data. He assured that he had obtained verbal authorization from dam officials before ordering the emptying, but operations were halted by the water resources department, due to complaints.

Rajesh Vishwas finds his phone, which has become unusable, but is suspended from duty. He denied abusing his position and, in his defense, confirmed that the water was flowing from the overflowing portion of the dam. It was therefore, in his opinion, “unusable”.

A Cancer district official, Priyanka Shukla, told The National newspaper that an investigation had been opened, but the principal’s behavior in question was widely frowned upon by India’s political class.

According to data from World Bank, India is one of the most water stressed countries as it is home to 18% of the world’s population with only 4% of water resources. “Water is an important resource and it cannot be wasted like that”, insisted Priyanka Shukla.