Search for missing trekker uncovers 2 skeletons near Harishchandra Fort

The two 22-year-olds were identified through a phone and Aadhaar card found near their remains

- HT Correspondent

THANE: A search for a missing trekker last week at Harishchandra Fort, 180 km from Mumbai, took a grim turn when rescuers discovered two skeletons, one of which was identified as the missing person's, in the densely forested valley.

The rescuers faced the eerie quiet of the forest as they descended into the 1,800-foot-deep valley near the historic site. The deceased were later identified as Rohit Salunke, a 22-year-old engineer from Silvassa, Dadra and Nagar Haveli, and Ganesh Honrao, also 22, who had been missing since 2021.

Harishchandra Fort, originally dating back to the 6th century during the rule of the Kalchuri dynasty, is a popular trekking destination known for its breathtaking views of the Western Ghats.

Rohit Salunke's disappearance on June 18, 2024, during a trekking expedition, initially prompted the search. The operation, which was hindered by heavy rains, resumed months later at the insistence of his family, led rescuers, involving police, villagers and trekkers, to the discovery of skeletal remains belonging to Honrao, just 100 metres away from Salunke's. Police believe Honrao's remains had gone unnoticed for years until the renewed search.

The police said Salunke, originally from Kolhapur, had moved to Pune for work as an engineer after his family relocated to Silvassa. On the fateful day of his disappearance, he arrived in Rajur and informed a local villager around 4.00 pm that he was heading to Harishchandra Fort. The villager, who accompanied him halfway, said that Salunke handed over his bag to him before venturing alone into the jungle, claiming he needed to relieve himself, but he never returned. Villagers' initial searches proved futile, and subsequent efforts by the police were thwarted by the monsoon's heavy rains.