Police naik and mountaineer Swapnil Garad (37) passed away in Nepal, where he had gone on an Everest expedition, on Wednesday afternoon. He had been on life support at a Kathmandu hospital for the past few days since he was admitted after his health deteriorated.
Garad was attached to the Pune police’s Economic Offences Wing. He joined the force in 2006 after his father, who was also a constable, died.
“His mortal remains are being brought to Pune and his last rites will be held here,” a colleague of his told The Indian Express.
Garad had earlier scaled Mount Ama Dabala in Nepal. He completed courses in basic mountaineering, advanced mountaineering, search and rescue and method of instruction from the Nehru Institute of Mountaineering at Uttarkashi, Uttarakhand, in 2016.
A cycling enthusiast, Garad had cycled for over 16,000 km. “I have completed many difficult expeditions and most of the credit for my fitness goes to my cycling habit that I took up in 2018,” he said in a recent interview.
According to his colleagues, six members of Garad’s extended family died in a road accident in 2005, forcing him to discontinue his education and start working.
