3 weeks ago
Drone Spots Suspected Body; Missing Bengaluru Techie Case Turns Mysterious
A man named Advait went hiking alone on a big hill called Shivagange.
He reached the hill in the morning and was supposed to come back in the afternoon, but he never returned.
Rescue helpers started looking for him using special flying cameras called drones.
The drones spotted something that looked like a human body in a very steep and bushy part of the hill.
But nobody is sure yet whether it is really a body or whether it belongs to Advait.
His sweater and bag were found, but his phone seemed to travel very far away before it was switched off, which is strange.
Police found that he had been studying the hill's exit routes with AI tools and had searched for suicide places on his computer.
They also learned that he recently got engaged and was in touch with other girls, so they are unsure what really happened.
The search is still going on, and the rescuers hope to find him and bring him home safely.
Advait (Advaith) Upadhyay, a 31-year-old cybersecurity professional, went missing during a solo trek to Shivagange Hill on August 7.
His sweater, shoulder bag and drone were found near the prohibited Shantala Drop, and a drone later spotted an unconfirmed object resembling a body below it.
His phone's signal travelled about 22 km from Shantala Drop before switching off near Kuduru on Kunigal Road, leading police to suspect someone else took it.
Police are probing personal angles: a recent engagement, chats with other women, AI-assisted research on exit routes, and suicide-related searches on his laptop.
Around 100 personnel from police, NDRF, SDRF and the Forest Department, plus a rope team led by climber Jyothi Raj, have found no body so far.
- Who
- Advait (Advaith) Upadhyay, a 31-year-old IIT alumnus and cybersecurity professional from Madhya Pradesh who works with a firm in Whitefield and lives in Kadugodi, Bengaluru.
- What
- Went missing on a solo trek; a drone spotted an unconfirmed suspected body near Shantala Drop, and police are probing a mysterious phone trail and possible personal reasons for the disappearance.
- Where
- Shivagange (Shivaganga) Hill - reported in one article as in Bengaluru Rural district and in another as in Tumkur district; search also covers Shantala Drop, Kuduru and Kunigal Road.
- When
- On Friday, August 7, when he was seen on CCTV reaching Shivagange at about 7:30 am and the hilltop by 8:30 am; he was expected back that afternoon but did not return.
- Why
- Unknown; police initially suspected a fatal fall or suicide, but are now skeptical and investigating his suicide-related laptop searches, pre-planned exit-route research, and personal relationships.
Feared Dead
Planned Disappearance
Cause of the disappearance
Feared Dead
Police initially presumed Advait slipped from Shantala Drop or jumped, and a drone spotted an object resembling a human body there, raising fears of a fatal fall or suicide.
Planned Disappearance
Police are now skeptical about his death - exhaustive drone and rope searches found no body - and suspect personal reasons behind a mysterious, possibly planned disappearance.
The phone's 22-km trail
Feared Dead
The phone's last signal near Kuduru may simply reflect where he went or where his phone ended up after a fall.
Planned Disappearance
The phone travelled about 22 km from Shantala Drop before going dead, so police suspect someone else carried it and switched it off once it started ringing.
Signs pointing to suicide
Feared Dead
His laptop's searches for suicide locations near Bengaluru and his presence at a dangerous, prohibited drop point suggest he may have harmed himself.
Planned Disappearance
His AI-assisted study of exit routes through forests, awareness of the only CCTV camera, and regular chats with other girls suggest a deliberate, pre-planned exit rather than death.
Key facts
- Missing Person
- Advait (Advaith) Upadhyay
- Age
- 31 years
- Profession
- Cybersecurity professional at a finance firm in Whitefield (also described as a software company)
- Engagement
- Recently engaged to Prachi Chouhan
- Last Contact
- Video call to his fiancée from Valkala Theertha point on the trek day
- Found Items
- Sweater, shoulder bag and his drone near Shantala Drop
- Drone Sighting
- Object resembling a human body below Shantala Drop (unconfirmed)
- Last Mobile Signal
- Kuduru near Kunigal, about 22 km from Shantala Drop, before the phone was switched off
Sources
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