Police search for three missing Pune professionals

Pune, Nov 7: Police have launched a massive search to trace the three missing advertising professionals who disappeared while travelling from Pune to Goa last week, authorities said on Thursday.

The body of a fourth man, Chintan C. Buch (26), was found after a frantic search in Neera river, around 30 km from here, said police officer Bharat Chavan. The remaining three, including a woman, are missing.

"We have deployed all possible resources including aerial search to look for Shruti Chandwani (26), Pranav Lele (30) and Sahil Qureshi. But so far we have not succeeded," Chavan told IANS.

The four left Nov 1 from Kothrud’s Bhusari Colony for Goa. While Chandwani was supposed to get off at Kolhapur to visit her family, the three men were planning to go to Goa for Diwali celebrations.

They travelled in a silver-coloured i20 vehicle but mysteriously disappeared after crossing the Khed-Shivpur toll plaza.

Chavan said that since then none of their mobile phones were reachable. Their frantic families finally contacted the police.

Their advertising firm arranged for a helicopter for two days in the Western Ghats near Mahabaleshwar. Police in Pune, Sangli, Satara, Raigad, Kolhapur and Ratnagiri continued their search.

Finally, a 15-member team of Rajgad police searched near the Neera river and located Buch’s body.

"We hope to trace the others soon," Chavan said.

Buch hailed from Vadodara in Gujarat and was planning to get married next month.