A retired government employee was found dead in a forest in Balaghat district of Madhya Pradesh on Saturday, his body discovered hanging from a tree after he had been missing from his home for four consecutive days. The incident has left his family devastated and raised troubling questions about the circumstances that led a 62-year-old man to quietly walk away from his home — and never return.

Identity of the Deceased

The deceased has been identified as Kailash, son of Dhupsingh Tekam, aged 62, a resident of Ward Number 14 in Baihar town. Kailash Tekam had served as an accountant — Lekhpal — in the Veterinary Department of the Madhya Pradesh government and had retired from that position. At the time of his disappearance, he was living a retired life in Baihar with his family.

Four Days of Silence

According to family members, Kailash Tekam left his home approximately four days before the discovery of his body — without informing anyone in the household about where he was going or when he would return. His unexplained absence immediately alarmed the family. Over the following days, relatives and family friends made extensive enquiries, checking with known contacts, relatives in neighbouring areas, and familiar locations — but found no trace of him. No information about his whereabouts came to light despite their sustained efforts to locate him.

Body Discovered in Rupjhar Forest

Police received information that a body was found hanging from a tree in the forest area falling under the jurisdiction of Rupjhar Police Station in Balaghat district. Officers rushed to the spot and recovered the body. By the time the body was discovered, it had deteriorated significantly — a consequence of having remained in the open forest for several days in the prevailing weather conditions.

The location of the body — deep inside a jungle, hanging from a tree — suggests that Kailash Tekam had walked a considerable distance from his residence before the fatal incident.

Panchnama and Postmortem Conducted

On Saturday, in the presence of family members, the Rupjhar Police conducted a formal panchnama — the legal documentation of the scene and the condition of the body — as required under procedure for unnatural deaths. The body was subsequently sent for postmortem examination at the district hospital. After the completion of all formalities, the body was handed over to the family for the last rites.

Police Register Unnatural Death Case

Rupjhar Police have registered a merg — an unnatural death case — and have commenced a formal investigation into the circumstances surrounding Kailash Tekam's death. Senior police officials, speaking after the postmortem, confirmed that the exact cause of death would only be conclusively established after the postmortem report is received and a thorough investigation is completed.

As of now, the reason behind Kailash Tekam's decision to leave home without informing anyone remains entirely unknown. Police have not ruled out any angle at this stage and are speaking to family members and acquaintances to piece together his state of mind in the days preceding his disappearance.

Questions That Remain Unanswered

What drove a 62-year-old retired government servant — a man who had spent his working life in public service and was living quietly in retirement — to leave home one day without a word, walk into a forest, and not come back? That is the question hanging over this case and over the grieving family in Baihar.

Retirement, for many government employees in smaller towns and cities across India, can bring with it an abrupt sense of loss — of routine, of purpose, of the social structure that decades of service provide. Financial pressures, health concerns, or personal anxieties that go unspoken within families can accumulate silently, invisible to even those living under the same roof. Whether any of these factors played a role in Kailash Tekam's case is something that investigators will now attempt to determine through the postmortem findings and witness statements.

Await Postmortem Report

The postmortem report, once available, will be the primary document guiding the direction of the investigation. Police will examine whether there are any signs pointing to foul play or whether the physical evidence is consistent with the initial impression. Until that report arrives, the Rupjhar Police have asked the family to remain available for questioning and have assured them that a thorough investigation will be conducted.

The family, meanwhile, is left to grieve — and to grapple with the hardest question of all: why he left, and why he never said goodbye.