15-year-old boy found dead at Kasauli Gilbert trail
While the exact cause of death will be determined after a post-mortem, the police are looking at the possibility that the boy was under stress following his poor performance in a recently held exam
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The Gilbert Trail is a well-known trekking spot in Kasauli. The boy's body was found at the end of this trail. (Photos: Special Arrangement) Missing for two days, a 15-year-old boy from Kasauli was found dead in a dense forest area on the Gilbert Trail — well-known trekking spot — Friday.
Ayush Chandel was only child of his parents. His father Hemraj Chandel had filed a missing report Thursday, police said. The exact cause of death will be determined after the post mortem examination, they said, adding they are exploring all angles, including suspected suicide.
“Ayush was under depression as he did not fare well in his half-yearly exams. It seems he left home two days ago because of it. However, this is just preliminary information,” a police official stated. The Gilbert Trail attracts thousands of tourists to Kasauli each year. There is a location referred to as ‘suicide point’ by the locals at the end of the trail, where Ayush’s body was found.
Ayush’s father, who works as a caretaker at a local resident’s house, filed a missing report with the police Thursday night. As per the father’s complaint, Ayush had left home to buy milk, but never returned. The police, accompanied by parents and locals conducted a search near Gilbert Trail Thursday night, but had to give up due to adverse weather conditions. The resumed the search Friday morning.
After hours of intense search, Ayush’s body was found in the deep forest area. The body was taken to the Government Regional Hospital in Solan, where a post mortem will be conducted to establish the cause of death. A neighbour of the Chandel family, requesting anonymity, claimed that Ayush was under depression for several days and had recorded a video before leaving the house. “In the video, he expressed his inability to excel in life and meet his parents’ expectations. He mentioned that he was a disappointment to his parents and was leaving the house and wished that they would adopt another child,” the neighbour claimed.
The investigating police officials did not reveal if they have recovered any such video.
Another neighbor said that soon after they came to know that Ayush was missing, 25 to 30 locals, along with the police team, initiated the search. “His phone was last tracked to the Baddi Pinjore area around 8 pm. Ayush’s phone cover was found near Gilbert trail, which eventually led us to his body,” the neighbour said, adding that body was found stuck on a tree.
Considering the recent sighting of leopards in the area, police has not ruled out Ayush’s death in a wild animal attack.
SP, Solan, Gaurav Singh, said, “The child’s body was recovered under mysterious circumstances from the Gilbert Trail. We have initiated proceedings under section 174 of the CrPC. The body was found after a long search operation and has been sent for the post mortem. Investigations in the case are still on”.
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