Bengaluru techie missing for over 2 weeks: Why police now believe he may be alive

More than two weeks have passed since Advait Upadhyay, a 31-year-old software professional from Bengaluru, went missing during a solo trek at Shivagange Hill. The police have now ruled out the possibility of his death by suicide and suspect that he may be alive and intentionally misleading search efforts. On August 7, Upadhyay set out on the trek using a rented motorcycle and called his fiancée, Prapti Chauhan, informing her that he would return by afternoon.

However, he never returned, and his phone became unreachable. Chauhan later filed a missing-person complaint with the Kadugodi police. The initial investigation focused on Upadhyay's laptop searches for suicide locations, which led police to suspect Shantala Drop, a steep section of the hill. Despite a large search operation involving drones and over 50 personnel, no body or belongings were found.

Jyothi Raju, known as 'Monkey Man', also searched the area extensively but found no evidence that Upadhyay had fallen. The police examined Upadhyay's digital records and found photographs and a video he sent from the hill's summit to someone. His mobile phone's last location was in Kudur, Ramanagara district, but the means of its arrival there remains unclear.

The police are now shifting their focus to technical investigations, including the custody of Upadhyay's laptop for digital examination. They have also observed potential red flags, such as his expression of unhappiness about his upcoming marriage and digital evidence of possible contact with another woman. The police believe Upadhyay may be alive and are monitoring his bank accounts, UPI transactions, social media activity, and other devices for any recent activity since August 7.