Bengaluru: The Karnataka Police suspect that a Bengaluru-based techie who went missing from the historic Shivagange Hill in Bengaluru Rural district may have planned to take his own life, with investigators recovering searches from his laptop that allegedly indicate he had researched the consequences of falling from the hill.

The missing techie, identified as Advait Upadhyaya, a native of Indore in Madhya Pradesh who was residing in Kadugodi in Bengaluru, went missing after arriving at Shivagange for trekking on Friday.

A major search operation has been underway for the past three days, involving the police, fire and emergency services, the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) and other personnel. Teams are searching the difficult terrain of Shivagange Hill using drones and other modern equipment.

According to police sources, the investigation has revealed several details that have strengthened the suspicion that Upadhyaya may have planned to take the extreme step.

Police recovered a laptop from his residence and managed to access it during the investigation. They allegedly found that Upadhyaya had used an AI tool to search for information about the time it would take to die if he fell from Shivagange Hill.

Investigators also found searches relating to the height of the hill and the possible consequences of a fall. According to the police, an AI-generated response suggested that a person falling from the hill at around 7.30 a.m. could potentially die.

Based on these searches and other evidence gathered during the investigation, police suspect that Upadhyaya may have travelled to Shivagange on August 4 itself, ahead of his planned trekking trip on August 7.

On August 7, Upadhyaya reportedly began trekking at Shivagange. Soon after starting the trek, he sent a photograph to a woman to whom he was engaged. He subsequently became unreachable.

Police have also obtained a photograph of Upadhyaya taken by another tourist while he was reportedly at the hilltop. Investigators are examining the photograph and other available evidence to establish his movements before he went missing.

The search operation is being led by Nelamangala Town Circle Inspector Bharat Gowda and involves police personnel, SDRF teams and experts familiar with the difficult terrain.

The teams are using drone cameras to scan inaccessible portions of the hill and are searching narrow, deep and steep sections where a person could potentially be trapped or have fallen.

The Shantala Drop, a popular tourist spot atop Shivagange, is one of the most challenging areas for search teams because of its steep terrain and difficult access.

Officials are continuing the search while examining technical and other evidence to determine exactly what happened to Upadhyaya.

Police have not yet confirmed that Upadhyaya has died and are continuing efforts to locate him. The search operation is likely to continue until the missing techie is traced.

Ahmedabad: A rape accused in Ahmedabad was shot in the leg by police after he attempted to escape custody and snatched a police inspector’s service revolver during a late-night recovery panchnama in the Hebatpur area, officials said on Monday.

The accused, identified as Dhram Singh, had been arrested on Sunday in connection with the rape case of a 23-year-old interior design student at a paying guest accommodation in Anandnagar.

He was taken to Hebatpur later that night to recover the woman’s mobile phone, which police said he had stolen after the assault.

Deputy Commissioner of Police (Zone 7) Shivam Varma said that Dhram Singh had undergone medical tests and DNA sampling before being taken to the location for the recovery proceedings.

“During the process of this recovery panchnama, the accused, in an attempt to escape police custody, tried to snatch the service revolver of Inspector RS Parmar. A scuffle ensued, and Constable Virendrasinh was hurt in the process. An officer fired two rounds at the leg of the accused, one of which hit him. The condition of the accused and the injured constable is stable,” DCP Varma told reporters outside the hospital.

Both Dhram Singh and the injured police constable were taken to GMERS Sola Civil Hospital for treatment.

The accused was brought to the hospital on a stretcher with a bandage around his right foot. Senior police officers, including the JCP and DCP, also reached the hospital following the firing.

Police indicated a separate case would be registered against Dhram Singh at Bodakdev Police Station in connection with the alleged attempt to escape custody and seize the officer’s firearm.

Officials said the investigation would examine the circumstances of the confrontation and the police response.

The latest development comes a day after Dhram Singh was arrested following a manhunt involving more than 10 teams from Anandnagar police, the Local Crime Branch and Crime Branch.

Police allege that the accused, who is from Hardoi in Uttar Pradesh and had joined the residential complex as a security guard only days before the incident, attacked the student on the terrace of the building on Saturday night.

According to JCP Neeraj Badgujar, the accused allegedly placed a wire around her neck, causing her to lose consciousness, before sexually assaulting her and fleeing with her mobile phone.

Police said the accused was arrested within hours of the complaint. The investigation into the rape and the circumstances surrounding the subsequent confrontation with police are continuing.

Kolkata, August 9: Former West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Sunday faced protests from Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) workers and supporters while visiting the family of a Trinamool Congress worker who allegedly died in police custody in Kanchrapara of North 24 Parganas district.

Demonstrators surrounded Mamata Banerjee’s car, hurled mud and a torn slipper towards her, and shouted slogans calling her a “thief”.

Following the attack, the former West Bengal Chief Minister told media persons, “Large stones were hurled at my car by anti-social elements, right in front of the police. The attack on the vehicle was so severe that if the windows had been open, my head would have been split open. We could have all been killed. This happened right in front of the police. I have never seen anything like this. What is going on? The police are providing protection to the BJP.”

The BJP alleged that the former Chief Minister had come to Kanchrapara to incite trouble and that ordinary citizens were protesting against it.

On the other hand, Mamata Banerjee lashed out at the BJP-led state government and targeted Police Minister Suvendu Adhikari, who is also the Chief Minister of West Bengal.

The Trinamool Congress supremo alleged that the BJP orchestrated the incident using their “goons”.

“Forget about security; the police are protecting lumpens! Bengal has fallen into the hands of lumpens. We will file a case,” she said.

The three-time former Chief Minister Banerjee claimed that large bricks were thrown at her car.

“My head could have been split open; I could have died here. The police are protecting the BJP,” she complained.

Trinamool Congress Lok Sabha MP Kalyan Banerjee and Rajya Sabha MP Dola Sen accompanied Mamata Banerjee. They too vented their anger against the current BJP administration after facing the protests.

Kalyan Banerjee said, ” Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari is running his rule through the police and getting work done by the mafia.”

Police had to surround the former Chief Minister’s car as it passed through the roads of Bijpur in the same district.

The husband of the former Trinamool Congress Councillor of Kanchrapara Municipality in North 24 Parganas district died in police custody, the family alleged on Saturday.

The deceased’s name is Birju Keot. His wife Jenny Sharma Keot, the former Trinamool Councillor of Ward number 23 of Kanchrapara Municipality, alleged that her husband died after being beaten up in the jail.

There was no reaction from the police in connection with this incident.

The deceased Trinamool worker’s family on Saturday alleged that Birju was tortured in police custody after Friday midnight.

Jenny also alleged that her husband was beaten with his hands and feet tied.

A source from Halishahar police station said that Birju was found lying ill in the jail on after Friday midnight. He was rushed to Jawaharlal Nehru Hospital in Nadia district’s Kalyani where the doctors declared him dead.

Initial speculation is that he may have died of a heart attack. However, the real cause of death is not yet certain.

It is also not known whether there are any injury marks on his body.

The cause of death will be clear only after the autopsy report is received, a police source said.

After meeting the Keot family on Sunday, Mamata Banerjee remarked, “There is no such thing as law and order left in this state.”