A 24-year-old tourist from Delhi was found dead on Thursday, four days after he mysteriously went missing from near Malana village in Parvati valley of Kullu in Himachal Pradesh. A search team located the body of Mohit Chaudhary near Waichin rivulet in the afternoon.
Background of the Incident
Mohit, a resident of Delhi Cantonment, arrived in Malana on May 9 along with three friends and a cousin. They stayed at a guest house in the picturesque Waichin Valley, according to police. He vanished the following morning.
Disappearance Details
According to Manikaran police, Mohit left the guest house on the morning of May 10, stating he was going out to buy some items, but never returned. When he failed to appear for several hours, his friends became worried and began searching for him. They looked in nearby areas and attempted to call him, but his phone remained switched off, and no contact could be established, as per the complaint.
Friends' Actions and Family Involvement
Manikaran SHO Sanjeev Walia stated that the friends returned to Delhi without Mohit on May 11 and informed his family about his disappearance. "The family members arrived at Manikaran on May 12 and lodged a formal missing complaint. A search operation was launched on May 13," Walia told TOI.
Discovery of the Body
Rescuers found his body the next afternoon. "Mohit had suffered a head injury. Prima facie, it appears he slipped near the rivulet and fell from a height, hitting his head. The exact cause of death will be clear in the postmortem, which will be conducted in Nerchowk on May 15," said Walia.
Police Investigation
A senior officer said police were treating it as a mysterious death. "The fact that his friends went back to Delhi without informing police raises questions. Also, it's not clear why Mohit would head for a rivulet alone. We hope to find the answers during our investigations," the officer added.
Broader Context: Missing Persons in Parvati Valley
According to police records, as many as 113 people have gone missing in the Parvati valley, which is notorious for the sale of locally grown charas, since 2011. Twenty of them were never found, nor their bodies recovered.
Expert Opinion on Malana's Drug Problem
Chhape Ram Negi, a veteran search and rescue expert who participated in the operation to trace Mohit, said Malana has become a hub of drug sellers and buyers. "There was a time when people visited Malana to witness its unique culture and way of life. Today, the village is increasingly being identified only with drugs. Hundreds of people from neighboring states have set up cafes around Malana, and everyone knows what is being sold there. It is high time the government stepped in to save Malana," Negi remarked.
