Body of missing 24-year-old found on hill in Narmadapuram forest; police suspect he jumped

The body of a 24-year-old man was found on a hill in the Banapura range forest in Narmadapuram on Wednesday morning. He had been missing for three days. Forest staff in the forest spotted the body and informed the police. On receiving the information, Kesla police station personnel left for the spot.

The deceased has been identified as Surendra, a resident of Saradeh and son of Nepal Salam. He was 24. According to police, he had left home three days earlier saying he was going to end his life. When he did not return, his family had filed a missing-person complaint at the police station.

Footprints of the man's slippers were found about 80 feet up the hill at the site. On this basis, police suspect he died by jumping from the hill. Kesla police station in-charge Sunder Lal Pawar said slippers and some other marks had also been found at the spot. He said the initial suspicion was a jump from the hill, but police were investigating the case from all angles.

The body lay in dense forest in the Chichwani beat of the Banapura range, about 40 kilometres from Kesla police station. The spot is about 3 kilometres on foot from the road. Station in-charge Pawar reached the spot with his police team at about 11:30 am on Wednesday. The team also had to climb a height on the way.

Police completed their proceedings at the spot and reached the road with the body at about 12:30 pm. The body will now be taken to the Sukhtawa Community Health Centre for post-mortem. Police have registered a case of unnatural death (marg) and begun an investigation.

The three-day search for the man thus ended on Wednesday with the information from forest staff. His disappearance had already been recorded at the police station on his family's complaint. Police will be able to clarify the position only after the post-mortem and investigation.