Missing 73-Year-Old Pune Woman Found Dead In Mula River Near Yerawada; Identified Within Hours

Pune: A 73-year-old woman who went missing after leaving her home for a morning walk was found dead in the Mula River near Aga Khan Bridge in Yerawada on Sunday evening. Quick coordination between Yerawada and Khadki police, along with social media outreach, helped identify the deceased within hours and reunite her family with her body.

According to police, the Ramwadi Marshal team attached to Yerawada Police Station received information at around 5.30 pm on August 2 about an unidentified woman floating in the Mula River near Vanita Vasahat, close to Aga Khan Bridge. Police personnel rushed to the spot and called the fire brigade, which retrieved the woman from the river.

She was taken to Sassoon General Hospital in a private ambulance, where doctors declared her dead at 7.47 pm.

The woman was wearing a dark-coloured blouse and skirt, yellow metal earrings, a chain, six bangles, a black thread around her neck and a red thread on her wrist. As no identity documents were found, Yerawada Police began efforts to identify her.

Under the guidance of Senior Police Inspector Umesh Gitte and Police Inspector (Crime) Keshav Dinde, PSI Kekan and Police Constable Sachin Gawli circulated the woman's photographs and details through the Pune Police Control Room and local journalists via WhatsApp.

Later the same night, the deceased was identified as Shobha Kailash Shah (73), a resident of PMC Colony in Wakdewadi, Shivajinagar. Police also found that a missing person complaint had already been registered at Khadki Police Station on August 2 after she failed to return from her morning walk.

Yerawada Police immediately contacted Khadki Police and coordinated with Shah's family. After completing the required legal formalities, the body was handed over to her son, Sumit Shah.

The family thanked the Yerawada Police and Pune Police for their swift efforts in identifying the deceased and returning her body without delay.

Police are investigating the exact cause and circumstances of her death.