Tamhini Ghat Tragedy: A wave of grief engulfed 6 families; deep sorrow spread across Pune’s Uttamnagar area

Pune: Sahil, a hardworking young man who rose from poverty, bought his own ‘Thar’ and ran multiple momo stalls in Pune. He had gone to Konkan for the first time with his close friends. But when contact was lost the next day, Sahil’s elder brother and villagers searched the entire Tamhini Ghat area. The car had plunged so deep into a valley that it was impossible to see with the naked eye. Eventually, with the help of a drone, the vehicle was located — and six families were shattered by the heartbreaking discovery. The entire Kopre village and Uttamnagar were enveloped in grief.

The six friends from Kopre village had left for Konkan around 11:30 PM on Monday (17th) in a Thar (MH-12 YN 8004). By Tuesday morning, not a single call reached home. When repeated attempts failed, their families rushed to Uttamnagar Police Station and filed a missing person report.

Police began tracking CCTV footage and mobile locations. Pune and Mangaon police, along with Raigad and Mulshi disaster management teams, conducted an extensive search but found nothing. Finally, on Thursday, a drone-assisted search located the Thar deep inside a gorge after the first difficult bend past Kondeghar village in Tamhini Ghat.

Sahil Sadhu Gote (Age 24; Occupation – Momos stall owner; Education – 12th pass; Resident – Kopre Village, Pune)

Omkar Sunil Koli (Age 18; Occupation – None; Education – 12th pass; Resident – Kopre Village, Pune)

Shiva Arun Mane (Age 19; Occupation – Labourer at a momos stall; Resident – Kopre Village, Pune)

Shri Mahadev Koli (Age 18; Occupation – Labourer at a momos stall; Resident – Bhairavnathnagar)

Pratham Shahaji Chavan (Age 22; Occupation – Ward boy at Bharati Vidyapeeth Hospital; Resident – Bhairavnathnagar, Pune)

Punit Sudhakar Shetty (Age 20; Occupation – Labourer at a momos stall; Resident – Kopre Village)