A 34-year-old woman who secretly returned to India from London was found dead inside her rented flat in PuneHer family, who believed she was still in the UK, reportedly traced her whereabouts through bank transactions and food delivery records
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woman returns from London without telling family, found dead in Pune flat, food delivery bills helped trace her (Image: File)
A 34-year-old woman who had gone to London to pursue an MBA was found dead in her rented apartment in Pune after her family discovered that she had secretly returned to India months agoThe woman, identified as Mugdha Deshmukh, was originally from Chhatrapati SambhajinagarHer parents believed she was still living in London until they noticed transactions on food delivery and other online platforms in her bank statements.
Deshmukh’s body was found on Thursday inside her apartment at the Lodha Belmondo residential complex in Gahunje, in the Pimpri Chinchwad areaPolice said there were no visible injury marks on her bodyThe exact cause of death is yet to be confirmed.
According to police, Deshmukh moved to the UK in July 2025 to study for an MBAShe returned to India in August 2026 but did not tell her parents about her returnShe had been living alone in Pune since then.
How did her family discover she had returned to India?
Deshmukh’s family regularly spoke to her over phone calls and messages and believed she was continuing her studies in LondonHowever, they became worried when they could not contact her on October 24Her phone was switched off, and there was no response to their attempts to reach her.
Her father, Avinash Deshmukh, contacted one of her friends in London to find out where she wasThe friend said she had last exchanged messages with Mugdha on October 22.
The friend also approached the London police to report her missingHowever, she was informed that Mugdha had left the UK towards the end of August.
Her family then contacted Indian authorities and the Indian High Commission for help.
Meanwhile, her father checked her bank statements and found several payments made between October 8 and 25 on food delivery and online service platformsThese transactions suggested that she could be in India.
Food delivery records helped police trace her location
One of the transactions was suspected to have come from the Osmanpura area of Chhatrapati SambhajinagarThis strengthened the family’s suspicion that Mugdha had returned to IndiaConcerned about her safety, the family approached the Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar Crime Branch.
Police examined her online activity and food delivery recordsHer order history helped investigators identify the address of the apartment where she was staying in Gahunje, Pune.
A police team from Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar then contacted the local police in Pimpri Chinchwad and reached the residential complexSenior Inspector Devendra Chavan of Shirgaon Police Station told PTI that officers entered the flat with the help of a locksmith and found Mugdha dead inside.
What did police find during the investigation?
Police found that Mugdha had rented the apartment in April 2026 but started living there only after returning from the UK in August or SeptemberInvestigators also learnt that she was reportedly teaching some subjects online to MBA students while staying in Pune.
According to a report by The Indian Express, Mugdha largely kept to herself and rarely interacted with neighboursPolice are also examining her phone records and trying to find out who she was in contact with during her final days.
Cause of death yet to be established
Police said there were no visible external injury marks on Mugdha’s bodyHer internal organ samples, known as viscera, have been preserved for further medical examination to establish the cause of death.
Investigators are also trying to understand why she returned from London without informing her parents and what she was doing in Pune during the months before her death.
Police are examining her phone, financial transactions and other available information to reconstruct her movements after returning to India.
The investigation is still underway, and the exact circumstances surrounding her death remain unclear.
