NAVI MUMBAI: An 18-year-old from Chandivali, who was untraceable ever since he had gone for trekking a week ago in the Matheran hills, was found dead in a gorge at Luiza Point in the area on Sunday.
Matheran police said that Nishant Gupta’s missing complaint was lodged on September 26 by his parents, who said that he had left home a day earlier for trekking in Matheran hills. The Matheran police launched a search operation with the help of drones, in view of the thick forests, but the missing teenager still could not be located.
The cops then took the help of the Sahayadri Range Rescue Team, which trekked the steep valley using ropes and safety gears. They searched for more than 36 hours but could not find Gupta, and called off the search.
On October 2, a group of local tribals who had gone to Louisa Point in the valley for cattle grazing informed the police about a stench emanating from the area. The cops restarted the search operation by summoning the Sahayadri Range Rescue Team again. A decomposed body was found in a gorge.
“As the body was fully decomposed, it was identified as that of Nishant Gupta from the clothes that he was wearing when he had left home. Also, his mobile phone was found at the spot,” said a police officer.
