The emptying operation took three days to pump millions of liters of water out of the Kherkatta dam in Chhattisgarh state. Rajesh Vishwas allegedly dropped his Samsung branded phone while taking a selfie…

Once the tank is empty the manager can pick up the phone. However, this one is too wet to work. To justify this operation, Rajesh Vishwas claims that his device contains classified government data and therefore must be found. But some accused him of abusing his position.

Local divers were initially mobilized, but they failed to get hold of the valuable device. Faced with this impasse, Rajesh Vish was paid to bring in a diesel pump. He reportedly received verbal permission from an official to drain”some water in a nearby canal.” The official in question is said to have claimed that this “would really benefit farmers who would have more water”.

But in fact nearly two million liters of water were evacuated, enough to irrigate 600 hectares of farmland, explains the BBC. The operation was halted with the arrival of an official from the water resources department following a complaint. Rajesh Vishwas”has been suspended pending an investigation. Water is a very important resource and cannot be wasted like that.” Priyanka Shukla, a Cancer district official, told the newspaper National.

Rajesh Vishwas denies taking advantage of his position and claims that the water he is draining is from the overflowing part of the dam and “can not be used”.

Many politicians have reacted to this affair, such as the national vice president of the opposition party in the state who tweeted: “When people rely on water tanks for water installations during hot summers, officials empty (millions) of liters that could otherwise be used to irrigate 1,500 hectares of land.”