A 33-year-old forest department staffer who had disappeared mysteriously has been discovered dead in Chikkamagaluru district. The deceased, identified as Sharath from Madikeri in Kodagu, had been posted in the Kadur forest range.
Sharath had been reported missing earlier this week, and his motorcycle was located abandoned in a grove of eucalyptus trees. Concerned over his sudden disappearance, his colleagues and family lodged a missing persons report at the Sakharayapatna police station.
Days after the search began, authorities stumbled upon a highly decomposed and unclothed body deep within a eucalyptus plantation managed by the Forest Industrial Development Corporation. The grim discovery was made in the Hastinapura area, close to Sakharayapatna.
Forensic specialists arrived at the scene to carry out a thorough examination before the remains were transferred to a medical facility in Shivamogga for an autopsy. Police officials are yet to confirm the exact cause of death, noting that the investigation remains in its early stages.
According to sources in the department, officers are exploring all leads and are not ruling out any potential motive or circumstance—be it accident, suicide, or foul play. A case of unnatural death has been officially registered, and inquiries are ongoing to piece together the events that led to Sharath’s tragic end.
The mysterious and disturbing turn of events has left the local forest department shaken.