Trekker dies after stone thrown by monkey hits him

A 48-year-old pharmacist from Pune died after being hit by a stone thrown by a monkey when he was trekking at Raigad fort in Mahad, late on Sunday evening.

The deceased has been identified as Laxman Dnyaneshwas Ube, a resident of Bharti Nagar, Bhusari Colony in Kothrud.

According to police, "Ube was climbing down from the fort when suddenly a stone fell on his head, and he died. During investigations, and based on eyewitnesses, it seems some group of monkeys were playing on trees, and were hopping from one tree to another. One of the monkeys threw a stone, which hit Ube. He was rushed to the Mahad primary health center, but was declared dead of arrival."

Laxman Dnyaneshwas Ube

"A post mortem was performed and doctors claimed the death was indeed due to the impact of the stone on his head," added the cops.

Ube's friend Dinesh Jogwade said, "Ube was an avid trekker and was always helpful to people. He had good knowledge of historical areas in Maharashtra and was a great fan of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj. Every Sunday, he visited various forts in Maharashtra."

Jogwade further revealed, "On Sunday around 5 am he, along with his 70 other trekkers, headed to Raigad for trekking in two luxury buses. I had received call from Ube around 12 noon and he had informed me that trek was going good, and that he was missing me. At around 5 pm, he, along with the rest of the trekkers, was climbing down from the fort. He was the last person to come down, but was looking to check if anyone was left behind. Suddenly, a stone fell on his forehead and he collapsed. We received a call from one of the trekkers about his unfortunate demise."

Mahad police have registered a case of accidental death.