Youth Considered Missing, Killed Himself By Jumping 400 Feet In Valley In Mahabaleshwar

Satara: The Satara Police revealed on Monday that an 18-year-old youth from Dhebewadi in Patan tehsil had died by suicide by plunging into a 400-foot-deep gorge from Kate's Point in Mahabaleshwar.

Bhagwatsingh Madansingh Solanki has been identified as the deceased. The Dhebewadi police believe that he took this drastic measure because of the ensuing depression, as he had not completed the Common Entrance Test (CET) exam form.

It is still not clear the reason he could not complete the paperwork. According to Assistant Police Inspector (API) P S Daingade of Dhebewadi, "On January 23, Bhagwatsingh left his house without informing anyone. After that, the Solanki family filed a missing person's report. We are investigating the matter from all angles, though as per preliminary investigations, it seems he may have taken his life due to depression."

According to the police, Dhebewadi police station had received a missing person's report from his family, and thereafter, every police station in the Satara district received a missing person's alert. The location of his cell phone was shown in the Mahabaleshwar neighbourhood of Kate's Point. Thereafter, the Panchgani police requested help from Mahabaleshwar Trekkers, Pratapgad Search and Rescue Team, and Sahyadri Trekkers.

"Along with Aniket Wagdare and Ashish Biramne from the Pratapgad Search and Rescue Team, Sunil Bhatia, Sunil Kelgane, Jaywant Biramne, Prithvi Biramne, Saurabh Gole, Saurav Salekar, Akshay Navilkar, Vishu Sapkal, and Atesh Dhanawade from Mahabaleshwar Trekkers went down the 400-foot deep gorge at Kate's Point where they found a body of an eighteen-year-old youth," said API Daingade.

The trekkers handed over the body to the Panchgani police, who then sent it to the government hospital for a post-mortem examination. Police from Panchgani and Dhebewadi, as well as the family of the deceased youth, were present at the hospital.

"When the Solanki family saw their son's body, they let out heartbreaking cries. The body was given to the family following the post-mortem examination," said police constable Dhiraj Mule, who is investigating the matter further.

For the past 20 years, the Solanki family, who are originally from Rajasthan, has relocated to Dhebewadi for business. They operate a bakery and confectionery in the market of Dhebewadi. In his family, he was the youngest son.

Suicide is not a solution:

If you are having suicidal thoughts, or you are worried about a friend, or you need emotional support, then there is someone who is always there to listen to you. Call the Sneha Foundation - 04424640050 (available 24x7) or iCall, the Tata Institute of Social Sciences helpline at 9152987821 (available Monday to Saturday from 8 am to 10 pm)