A five-day search operation ended dramatically on Sunday evening when 24-year-old Gautam Adinath Gaikwad, who had gone missing from Sinhagad Fort, was found alive.

The rescue mission, involving over 80 personnel and volunteers, was carried out under extremely challenging conditions of heavy rain, dense fog, and treacherous terrain.

Gautam, originally from Satara and currently residing in Hyderabad, had visited Sinhagad Fort with friends on Wednesday to enjoy the monsoon. Around 4.30 pm, near the Tanaji cliff area, he handed his phone to his friends and stepped aside, reportedly to relieve himself. When he did not return, his friends began searching for him. Later that evening, they found his slippers near the cliff’s edge, sparking fears that he had slipped into the valley. Unable to find him, they informed Haveli police, which launched a large-scale search that same night.