Kullu police clueless about Israeli’s death

SHIMLA: The  Kullu police have been unable to resolve the mystery surrounding the death of an Israeli  trekker, Dror Sheck, whose body was recovered from the Parvati valley area near Manikaran on Sunday.

Sheck was found mortally wounded by his Israeli backpacker friends on Sunday, shortly after he was stabbed in the stomach by unidentified assailants. He was part of a five-member group.

Kullu superintendent GD Bhargava said Sheck’s body bore injury marks, but since his post mortem could not be conducted due to pressure from the Israeli embassy, the cause of his death was not ascertained. His fellow trekkers had guarded his body for over 40 hours, not allowing local authorities to conduct an autopsy.

Sheck’s body was airlifted by the Israeli embassy and brought to Delhi on Tuesday night after local residents carried it by foot for 12 hours to reach a road. His body was flown back to Israel for burial on Thursday.

During interrogation, the victim’s friends said Dror and another trekker had lagged behind while the group was ascending a hill near Kiriganga village.  Though members of the group tried to blame locals for his murder, the police are probing the case. 

The SP said the police were also exploring the possibility of Sheck being killed by his group members. Passports of all the four trekkers have been impounded.

He said the probe had been hampered  because post mortem could not be done. Bhargava denied the possibility of Sheck slipping from a hill and falling in the gorge as his body bore injury marks.