Friends from the same batch: Karnataka loses second police officer in two months

Arun Salunke, a police inspector from the Bengaluru city crime branch, died in a helicopter crash at Joshi math in Uttarakhand. | Photo credit: Special arrangement

A helicopter crash in Uttarakhand on Friday claimed the life of Karnataka police inspector Arun Salunke, making him the second police officer from the state to die in an accident in another state in two months.

Those killed in the accident with him included Pratap Gowda, Shankar Gowda, Sudheer K. and HS Natraja. They were on the Char Dham yatra pilgrimage together.

Mr. Salunke was an Inspector of the Special Investigation Unit of the Bengaluru Central Crime Branch (CCB). Police department sources described him as a “no-nonsense” officer with a calm demeanor.

On August 28, cybercrime investigator Ravi KB died in a bus accident in Madhya Pradesh. Both Mr. Ravi and Mr. Salunke belonged to the same batch of police officers who joined the service in 2007. What makes the tragedy even more heartbreaking is that both were part of the same close group of friends.

When news broke of the helicopter crash, several police officers’ social media accounts were filled with prayers and messages hoping the reports were not true. Minutes later, when the deaths were confirmed, the posts quickly changed to photos of Mr Ravi and Mr Salunke together.

But one image was common to several posts: a screenshot of Mr. Salunke’s heartfelt social media post on August 28 mourning the death of his friend Ravi.

Mr. Salunke hailed from Aratal village in Belagavi district but settled in Bengaluru for nearly two decades. He is survived by his wife and two children. His father and brothers live in Aratal.

Vasanth Kumar, inspector of Mahadevapura police station, said Mr. Salunke was a gentleman. “About 10 of us from the 2007 batch of 365 officers were very close, including Salunke and Ravi. We have lost two of them and it is a personal loss for many of us,” he told The Hindu.

A senior officer who worked with Mr. Salunk said he was a quick thinker and had a knack for identifying connections and uncovering clues quickly.

Mr Salunke led the team that busted the betting racket during the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 earlier this year. He was also the complainant in a case where an IAS officer from Andhra Pradesh allegedly assaulted and threatened police personnel during a night inspection earlier this month.

Family sources said Mr. Salunke passed the Central Services examination in 2007 and served in Delhi for some time. He later cleared the police recruitment exam and returned to Karnataka. He served in Bengaluru in various capacities and was also posted in Tumakuru district. Last week he went to Uttarakhand on a trip with his friends.

Pratap Gowda hailed from Bachihalli in Sakleshpur. He lived in Bengaluru for several years as a contractor and businessman. He is survived by his wife and two children. He was also inclined to enter politics. According to his friends, he had recently joined the Congress and was interested in contesting the upcoming Zilla Panchayat elections from Yeslur constituency in Sakleshpur taluk.

Published – 31 Oct 2026 0:39 IST