There was a stir in the region after the bodies of a 40-year-old man and a young girl were found in a gorge approximately 1,200 feet deep below the famous tourist spot Kokankada in Durgwadi. Despite heavy rain and strong winds, the Junnar police and members of the Shivjanmabhoomi Rescue Team successfully retrieved the bodies under extremely challenging conditions. Preliminary police investigations suggest that this was a case of suicide and that the two individuals were related. The deceased have been identified as Ramchandra Sahebrao Pardhi (age 40), a talathi (revenue officer) posted in Shrigonda taluka of the Ahilyanagar district, and Rupali Santosh Khutan, a minor college student from Amboli near Durgwadi (Tal. Junnar), both of whom had been reported missing. Junnar Police Inspector Kiran Avachar confirmed the identities.
Pardhi, originally from Durgwadi, was residing in Shrigonda for work. His wife had filed a missing complaint at the Tophkhana police station in Ahilyanagar after he went missing. Similarly, Rupali was reported missing on May 15 at the Junnar police station, and her relatives suspected she had been kidnapped by an unknown person.
Meanwhile, villagers noticed a white four-wheeler parked in an abandoned condition near a waterfall at the edge of the Kokankada cliff in Durgwadi. They also found a pair of male and female slippers at the edge of the cliff, leading them to suspect that someone may have fallen off or jumped deliberately. Upon searching, the rescue team and locals found Rupali’s body at the base of the cliff, and a short distance away, the body of the deceased talathi.
A note was found in the deceased’s clothing, mentioning that they were taking this extreme step due to harassment from family members. Both had reportedly written the note on the 14th of the month. Further investigation into the case is being conducted by the Junnar Police.