Special Correspondent
Junnar, Pune: In a tragic incident, a 40-year-old government officer (Talathi) and a 20-year-old college student were found dead in a 1,200-foot-deep gorge in the Durgawadi area of Junnar taluka, Pune district. The incident came to light after a white car was found parked near the Konkan Kada area and a pair of sandals were discovered nearby, prompting a search operation.
The deceased have been identified as Ramchandra Sahebrao Pardhi (40), a Talathi posted in Shrigonda taluka of Ahmednagar district, and Rupali Santosh Khutan (approx. 20), a college student from Amboli. Both had been missing for several days before their bodies were recovered.
Separate police complaints had been filed in both cases — Ramchandra’s wife had lodged a missing persons report at Tophkhana Police Station in Ahmednagar, while an abduction case had been registered at the Junnar Police Station concerning Rupali’s disappearance. This led to two independent investigations being carried out by different police teams.
On Sunday, the suspicion of foul play heightened when locals noticed a parked car and sandals near a cliff in the reverse waterfall zone of Durgawadi. Due to inclement weather, the search operation had to be paused but eventually resumed, leading to the recovery of both bodies.
In a suicide note reportedly recovered from the scene, Ramchandra Pardhi alleged that his wife was in a relationship with a local youth and had deprived him of emotional and physical companionship. He claimed that the defamation and humiliation caused by his wife and her relatives left him with no will to live. The note ends with a plea for strict action against all those he held responsible for his death.
Pardhi also expressed remorse to his parents, siblings, and children, asking for their forgiveness. While initial investigations point to suicide, the police have launched a full probe to ascertain the complete truth behind this tragic case.
