Maharashtra cops hand over body of Hyderabad mountaineer, who fell to death, to her family

The Panvel police have handed over the body of a 28-year-old mountaineer from Hyderabad, who allegedly fell to death while climbing a hill in the Prabalgad fort area, to her family, officials said.

The Panvel police have handed over the body of a 28-year-old mountaineer from Hyderabad, who allegedly fell to death while climbing a hill in the Prabalgad fort area, to her family, officials said. The hilly area, known for trekking, is located near Panvel, 30 km east of Mumbai.

Rachita Gupta Kanodia, 28, went missing after she reached Panvel on November 25. (HT)

The deceased, Rachita Gupta Kanodia went missing after she reached Panvel on November 25. Her family members along with the Hyderabad police came to the city searching for her after they lost communication with her. The local police along with some villagers traced the body around 600 meters down from the top on Monday.

According to the police, Kanodia alone flew to Mumbai from Hyderabad on November 25. She took a taxi to Panvel from the airport, The vehicle immediately left after dropping her to the Prabalgad area, the police said.

Abhay Mahajan, police inspector of Panvel taluka police station, said, “She knew the area well as she had come to the same place in September. Probably, that’s why she came alone this time.”

When Kanodia did not return home on November 29, her family registered a missing complaint with the Hyderabad police and then came to Panvel. The police traced the body on the back side of the hill.

Mahajan said, “We sent the body to Panvel rural hospital for a post-mortem and then handed it over to her family. The body was decomposed, and probably she died around four days ago. Her family members took it to their native place to conduct the final rites on Tuesday.”

“The post-mortem report is yet to come,” he said. The police have registered an accidental death case.

Kanodia’s husband is a businessman and stays in Dubai.