The 28-year-old engineer, Kavita Ishwar Chikhli, who went missing from Sinhagad Fort on Thursday, could not be traced even after a rigorous search operation lasting 36 hours by the Pune rural police.

The sniffer dog led the police team up to the bus stop in Atkarwadi village at the foot of Sinhagad Fort. But there was no clue of Kavita later on. Kavita, a resident of Chandannagar, was an engineer with quality department of Seco Tools Indian Private Ltd company in Koregaon Bhima.

The police along with local residents and trekkers launched a massive search operation that was on till reports last came in on Friday. Kavita’s brother Amit Chikhli, fiancée Madan Kumar from Bangalore and about 40 employees from her company accompanied the police team during the search operation. Her brother and colleagues were not willing to speak to the media. They, however, told the police that Kavita was good at work and of helping nature. Senior inspector Satish Patil of Haveli police said, “We thought that Kavita may have gone down to Atkarwadi village. So we inquired about her at kiosks, shops, restaurant in Atkarwadi. But there were no inputs about her.”

“We have conducted rigorous search at various locations on and around Sinhagad. So far we have no clue about Kavita. Nothing like her cell phone, spectacles, clothes or water bottle that she carried while trekking was found,” said Deputy Superintendent of Police Ravindra Pardeshi, who was leading the search team.

Police said Kavita is a native of Karad in Satara district. She was living with a friend as paying guest at Nyati Empire in Chandan Nagar, Kharadi for last one month. She was earlier staying at Chinchwad. Her elder brother also stays in Pune.

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