Inspector who died in helicopter crash was from Belagavi

Arun Salunke, a police inspector with the Central Crime Branch in Bengaluru, who died in the helicopter crash at Joshi Math in Uttarakhand on Friday, hailed from Aratal village in Belagavi district.Salunke was living in Bengaluru for nearly two decades. He is survived by his wife and two children. His father and brothers reside in Aratal.He had cleared a Central Services examinations in 2007 and served for some time in Delhi.Later, he cleared the police officer recruitment examination and returned to Karnataka. He served in Bengaluru and Tumkur districts, his family said.He was serving as an Inspector with the special inquiry division of the Central Crime Branch (CCB). He left for the Uttarakhand trip with his friends last week. Published - October 30, 2026 08:50 pm IST