Days after a couple of trekkers were assaulted and stripped naked by a group of men and women, the battered body of a 21-year-old college student was found at the fort's entrance
Police personnel and members of Shiv Durga trekking group carry Rahul’s body
Pune: It seems that Lonavla is slowly becoming a scary place for tourists. Days after a couple of trekkers were assaulted and stripped naked by a group of men and women, the battered body of a 21-year-old college student was found at a height of 300 feet from the fort’s entrance. The Lonavla Rural Police have registered an accidental death case but are probing the murder and suicide angles as well.
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The deceased youth has been identified as Rahul Shrimant Narale (21), a resident of Keshavnagar in Mundhwa. He was a first year student of Pune-based Wadia College and also a member of the National Cadet Corps (NCC).
He was disturbed
Speaking on condition of anonymity, one of his friends said, “Rahul was quite disturbed since December 27. He was not even taking his parents’ call. To help him get over the stress, we decided to go for trekking to Lohagad Fort in Lonavla on December 30. On the day of the incident around 2pm, while we were climbing the fort, we decided to take a selfie. But, we could not find Rahul. We thought that he might have reached the top but he wasn’t there. Later we thought that he must have gone home, but when we checked, he was not there as well.”
No clue yet
Sub-inspector Balaji Gaikwad, who is investigating the case said, “Rahul had travelled to the spot along with 17 of his friends via a Pune local train. Initially, his parents thought that he might have gone to his native place in Solapur, but he could not be found there. Thereafter, they registered a missing complaint the following day. He had switched off his cell phone and kept it at a friend’s house. We have interrogated his friends but haven’t got any clue yet. Later, with the help of a couple of members of Shiv Durga trekking group, we recovered his body.” “Though we have registered an accidental death case, the real reason behind the incident can be determined only after we talk to his parents,” he added.
Sunil Gaikwad, who works as a volunteer with Shiv Durga trekking group, said, “We started the search operation on January 1 and finally recovered Rahul’s body on Sunday.”
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