Missing Sirmaur youth found dead in Punjab

In a disturbing turn of events, Sirmaur’s Rohit Chauhan (21), who had been missing since September 9, has been confirmed dead. The Punjab Police in Balongi have registered a case of culpable homicide not amounting to murder against his two friends. The case took a sinister turn when it was revealed that Rohit’s friends had allegedly conspired to cover up his death by dumping his body on the roadside.

Rohit, who worked at a hotel in Chandigarh, went missing after he left for Balongi, Punjab, on September 8. His family reported him missing on September 11 at the Puruwala police station in Paonta Sahib of Sirmaur district. Upon investigation, the police traced his last phone call to a youth from Kullu district.

One of the suspects disclosed that Rohit had gone to meet a girl in Balongi, where the tragic incident occurred. After his death, instead of reporting the incident, his friends allegedly abandoned his body on the roadside. The Punjab Police discovered the unidentified body on September 9, but it remained unclaimed and was cremated on September 14 after no one came foward for identification. Fortunately, the viscera were preserved for forensic analysis.

The mystery began to unravel when Rohit’s family identified him through photographs and his clothes on September 17. Further police investigation linked the incident to his friends, who have now been charged under Sections 105 and 238 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), typically reserved for deaths occurring under specific circumstances without intent to murder. The authorities suspect that the involvement of drugs could be a factor, though the probe was underway.

Paonta Sahib Assistant Superintendent of Police Aditi Singh said while the Puruwala police were investigating Rohit’s disappearance, the case had now been handed over to the Punjab Police for further probe to ascertain the cause of the death and identify all individuals involved in the matter.