A 35-year-old school teacher died Tuesday evening after he fell from a cliff while taking a selfie in Varandha Ghat in Pune district, Maharashtra, the Pune Rural Police said. Following a search operation that lasted throughout the night, a team of trekkers recovered his body early on Wednesday.
The police have identified the deceased as Abdul Shaikh, a resident of Nasrapur town in Bhor taluka of the Pune district. He was a teacher at a school in Mandangad taluka of Ratnagiri district.
Officials said that Abdul Shaikh’s body was handed over to his family after the post-mortem.
According to the police, on Tuesday evening Shaikh was going from Nasrapur to Mandangad in his four-wheeler to go back to work after a leave. He took a halt near Waghjai Temple at Varandha Ghat in Bhor where there are several stalls selling food items to tourists and commuters.
Police Inspector Vitthal Dabade, in charge of Bhor police station, said that as per the food stall owners’ version, Shaikh was taking selfies standing on the edge of the cliff where there were a lot of monkeys. “He lost his balance and fell 500 feet off the cliff sometime around 6 pm. The local residents then informed the police. A search operation was launched by the groups of trekkers along with the teams of police, and the emergency response department from Bhor and Mahad. His body was located at 3 am on Wednesday around 500 feet off the cliff.”
Officials said that Shaikh’s body was handed over to his family after the post-mortem.
“In spite of repeated warnings through signboards and other means, tourists keep taking selfies and photos standing dangerously close to the cliff edges. We urge the commuters and tourists to take utmost precautions while visiting these spots,” the inspector said.