Celebrity singer Ishmeet Singh from Punjab, who shot to fame by winning the Voice of India [Images] (on Star TV) contest in November last year, drowned in a swimming pool on Tuesday at a resort in the Maldives [Images] where he had gone to take part in a concert.

Ishmeet's interview to rediff moments after winning VOI

Gurprinder Singh Sodhi, father of 20-year-old Ishmeet [Images], said at their home in Ludhiana that the event management company, which took his son to the Maldives, informed him at around 2000 hours that the singer had died due to drowning in the swimming pool of the hotel where he was staying.

The B Com second year student of MNC College in Mumbai had gone to the pool for frolicking, but fell into its deep end leading to his drowning, agencies reported, quoting a hotel official.

Sodhi told media persons that they were surprised that their son had died due to drowning in the swimming pool.

"He had never swam before us and we are not aware whether he could swim or not," an inconsolable father said.

"Television channels announced his death at around 2100 hours, the time when were expecting to see Ishmeet perform for the first time in the Maldives," Sodhi said.