Body of Nalasopara Man Found Near Monkey Hill After Falling From Train

The decomposed body of a 55-year-old Nalasopara resident, who reportedly fell from a train, was retrieved near Monkey Hill on the Lonavla-Karjat railway section on Tuesday evening. The victim, Chandrakant Chavhan, had been missing since the night of July 4.

The recovery operation was executed under the guidance of Khopoli police inspector Sachin Hire. Volunteers from the local NGO Help Foundation brought the body back after trekking around 9 kilometres through challenging, landslide-prone terrain in heavy rain. The inclement weather conditions made the trek highly difficult for the rescue team.

Due to the high-risk nature of the area, which is highly prone to boulder falls and landslides, the rescue team had to take significant precautions. Before mobilising, the team members were advised to equip themselves with a basket stretcher, a body bag, surgical masks, gloves, helmets, ropes, water, walkie-talkies, and sanitisers. These precautions were necessary as Chavhan's body was already in a heavily decomposed condition when located.

Chavhan’s family members travelled to the site and accompanied the rescuers during the operation. The rescue team successfully scaled down the slopes to pull out the body from the railway tracks.

Inspector Sachin Hire stated that, prima facie, Chavhan was suspected to have fallen from a train more than two days prior to the recovery. He added that further details would be revealed after the police collate more information from the deceased's family members.

Chavhan originally went missing while travelling from Mumbai to Solapur on the night of July 4. He was last seen at approximately 2:30 AM during the journey. When no information regarding his whereabouts was received by his family, they lodged an official missing person complaint with the police, which eventually led to the search.