Pune Man Dies by Suicide at Lion’s Point in Lonavala
Pune, 14th February 2026: A 32-year-old assistant sales manager employed with a private company dealing in shipping containers died by suicide after allegedly jumping from Lion’s Point in Lonavla, around 70 km from Pune, in the early hours of Thursday. The incident occurred on the birthday of his wife, police said.
Members of Shivdurga Mitra, a local rescue group based in Lonavla, retrieved the body from a gorge approximately 250 feet deep and handed it over to the Lonavla Rural police.
Inspector Dinesh Tayade of Lonavla Rural police said the deceased, Virendra Sinha, was a resident of Hinjawadi and had been experiencing marital discord in recent days. According to preliminary investigation, his wife had left their residence on February 10 and was staying in Mumbai.
Police said the man attempted to contact his wife on Thursday, which was her birthday, but did not receive a response. He then recorded a video message and emailed it to her. He also sent a text message to a friend before allegedly taking the extreme step.
After receiving the email and message, the wife and the friend approached the police on Thursday morning. In his message, the man reportedly indicated that his car was parked near Lion’s Point. Police located the vehicle at the spot, with the keys placed under a tyre. His mobile phone was found inside the car.
“We immediately alerted the Shivdurga Mitra rescue team to search the gorge,” Inspector Tayade said.
Sunil Gaikwad of Shivdurga Mitra said volunteers descended into the valley and located the body about 250 feet below the viewpoint. “The team used a stretcher to bring the body up. The operation concluded around 4.30 pm,” he said.
Inspector Tayade said the man had referred in the video to certain colleagues — three men and five women — with whom he allegedly had personal issues. Based on the complaint filed by his wife, police have registered a case under Section 108 (abetment of suicide) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.
The deceased had been working for the Pune-based company for the past few months, primarily handling sales related to the rental and purchase of shipping containers.
Police said no eyewitness has come forward regarding the incident. Sources added that patrol teams regularly monitor the area to prevent mishaps, but there are no CCTV cameras installed in the immediate vicinity of Lion’s Point.
The rescue operation was conducted by Shivdurga team members including Yogesh Umbare, Mahesh Masne, Ayush Vartak, Ayush Pawar, Devshree Chile, Sachin Gaikwad, Kunal Kadu, Kapil Dalvi, Yogesh Dalvi, Sagar Dalvi, Sagar Kumbhar, Anil Andre, Ganesh Bhangare, Pintu Mankar, Mahadev Bhawar, Ganesh Mhaskar, Dnyaneshwar Akhade, Santosh Margale, Chandrakant Gade and Anand Gavade.
Police are conducting further investigation into the incident.
