5 chopper crash victims were due to return to Bengaluru when tragedy struck

A Bengaluru central crime branch (CCB) inspector and his four friends, who were killed when a helicopter crashed at Joshimath in Uttarakhand on Friday, were expected return to the city in the evening.

The five passengers killed were identified as inspector Arun Salunke, HS Nataraj (51), Prathap Ningraju (41), Sudheer K. (49), and Shankar Gowda (39), all from Bengaluru, officials said.

Salunke, appointed to the police force in 2007, belonged to Belagavi district’s Aratal village and he completed his education at the MS Ramaiah Institute of Technology in Bengaluru before joining the police force. He served at the Halasuru police station and later in the CID before joining the CCB as an inspector.

“He was friendly with everyone in the building,” said Dasappa, the landlord of the apartment building where Salunke had lived for the past three years.

Nataraj headed a Vidya Bharati educational institute in Bengaluru, while Shankar Gowda was an advocate and Prathap a civil contractor. Prathap is survived by his wife and two sons, who are studying in Classes 7 and 3.

Nataraj’s childhood friend Nagesh recalled their last conversation at around 11.00 am. “The pilot had told them that the area was covered in thick fog and that they would have to wait until visibility improved,” he said.

Taking to X, chief minister DK Shivakumar mourned the deaths, saying: “Discussions are underway with Uttarakhand officials to bring the bodies back to Karnataka as soon as possible, and the state government stands in solidarity with the families of the deceased during this time of grief.”

Karnataka State Disaster Management Authority and Social Security and Pensions, the CMO and the Relief Commissioner are coordinating with their counterparts in Uttarakhand to facilitate the transportation of the mortal remains to Karnataka at the earliest.