From London to Pune: Timeline of Events Leading to the Tragic Discovery of Mugdha Deshmukh

Pune: A 34-year-old woman, whose family believed she was studying in London, was found dead in a rented apartment in Pune, days after food delivery transactions alerted her parents to her presence in India, police said on Friday.

Mugdha Deshmukh, who had left for the UK in July 2025 to pursue an MBA and had secretly returned to India in August, was found dead without any visible injury marks on her body at a residential complex in the Gahunje area of Pimpri Chinchwad on Thursday, an official said.

According to the police, Mugdha, a native of Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, lived alone in London and had taken up part-time jobs.

Mugdha’s family had been in touch with her over phone calls and messages. However, on October 24, they were unable to reach her, after which her mobile phone was switched off, her father, Avinash Deshmukh, stated in a complaint lodged with the Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar police earlier this week.

The official said that the family then contacted her friend in London, who informed them that she had last communicated with Mugdha through messages on October 22.

The friend subsequently approached the London police to report her missing but was informed that Mugdha had left the UK around the end of August, he said. Concerned about her whereabouts, her family approached the Indian authorities and the Indian High Commission for assistance.

Mugdha’s father also examined her bank statements and noticed several transactions between October 8 and 25 on food delivery and online service platforms, police said.

One of the transactions was suspected to have originated from the Osmanpura area in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, leading the family to believe that Mugdha could be in India. The official said that the family then approached the Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar crime branch, concerned about her safety.

“The Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar police traced Mugdha’s location to the Lodha Belmondo complex in Gahunje. We reached the flat she was residing in, gained entry with the help of a keymaker, and found her dead inside,” said senior inspector Devendra Chavan of Shirgaon Police in Pimpri Chinchwad.

He added that there were no visible injury marks on the body, and her viscera was preserved to ascertain the exact cause of death.

During the probe, police discovered that Mugdha had rented the apartment in April but only began living there after leaving the UK in August, Chavan said, adding that further investigation is underway.

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