Woman who went to London for MBA found dead in Pune flat; family had no idea she had returned

PTC Web Desk: A 34-year-old woman who went to London to study for an MBA was found dead in a rented flat in Pune. Her parents had no clue that she had returned to India months ago. The woman, Mugdha Avinash Deshmukh, was originally from Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar. The police found her body on Thursday inside her apartment in the Lodha Belmondo housing complex in Gahunje, Pimpri Chinchwad.

The police said there were no visible injury marks on her body. The cause of death is not yet known.

What the police know about her return

Mugdha moved to the UK in July 2025 for her MBA. According to the police, she came back to India in August this year and had been staying in Pune ever since. She never told her parents. Her family believed she was still in London as they kept speaking to her over calls and messages.

How the family found out

Things changed on October 24, when the family could not reach her. Her phone stayed switched off after that. Her father, Avinash Deshmukh, got in touch with a friend of hers in London. The friend said she had last chatted with Mugdha on October 22. She then went to the London police to report Mugdha missing, but was told that Mugdha had already left the UK around the end of August.

The family then reached out to Indian authorities and the Indian High Commission for help. Her father also went through her bank statements. He noticed several payments to food delivery and online service apps between October 8 and 25. One of them seemed to come from the Osmanpura area of Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, which made the family think she might be in India.

They approached the Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar crime branch, which began tracing her.

Also Read | Limpet mines hit tanker with 27 Indians onboard in Strait of Hormuz; all crew safe | Know what limpet mines are

Body found after flat was opened with locksmith’s help

The crime branch tracked her to the Lodha Belmondo complex in Gahunje and informed the Pimpri Chinchwad police. “We reached the flat she was residing in, gained entry with the help of a locksmith and found her dead inside,” Devendra Chavan, senior inspector at Shirgaon Police, said.

Chavan said Mugdha had taken the flat on rent in April, but only started living there after she came back from the UK in August.

Investigation continues

The post-mortem has not revealed what caused her death. Samples from her internal organs have been preserved for further tests and the police are waiting for those results.

Officers are also checking what she did after returning from London and why she stayed in Pune without telling her family.

⚠️ CONTENT WARNING⚠️

This article contains sensitive content related to suicide and self-harm and may be distressing or triggering for some viewers.Viewer discretion is advised.

If you or someone you know is struggling or having thoughts of suicide, please seek help immediately.

???? Tele-MANAS Mental Health Helpline: Dial 14416 or 1-800-891-4416 from anywhere in India. Available 24×7 across India.