Pune: The body of a 22-year-old man from Ambegaon taluka who had fallen off a cliff at Nane Ghat plateau, 125km from Pune, on Monday, was recovered on Tuesday.The victim, Datta Londhe of Ambegaon taluka, and his three friends had gone trekking to the ‘Nanacha Angatha’ point in the Nane Ghat section. Inspector Sanket Chaudahri of the Junnar Police said, “It was raining heavily and visibility was poor due to dense fog. Londhe was cold and shivering because of the rain and strong winds. He took the car keys from a friend and told them he would go down and wait in the car,”“When the friends reached the parking lot, they did not find Londhe. They tried calling his cellphone, but there was no response. The friends alerted local residents and searched for him. When they could not trace him, they informed the police,” Chaudhari said.Pune Rural police, the state forest department and a rescue team found Londhe’s footwear near an unguarded section of the cliff. “Thermal drones were used to locate him. The search had to be suspended around 9.30pm because of darkness, rain and fog,” Chaudhari said.The rescue operation resumed around 6am on Tuesday. Londhe’s body was found and retrieved from the gorge around 9.30am. It was sent for post-mortem. “We suspect he lost his way in the dense fog and accidentally fell off the cliff. A case of accidental death has been registered,” Chaudhari added.
