The athlete had been struggling with depression for two years, and his body was discovered 150 km from home days after he went missing. (Image: PTI)
The Palghar police are conducting an in-depth investigation into the death of Sagar Sorti, 33, a former Mumbai Under-16 footballer who was recently discovered dead. Initially treated as an accidental death report (ADR), the case now seeks to clarify his last movements and the circumstances behind his early death.
Sagar Sorti was a footballer who had represented Mumbai at the Under-16 level, indicating a career that began with significant promise. At 33, his life was marked by a recent personal struggle. According to his family, Sorti had been battling depression for the last two years. This condition caused him to pull away socially, stop talking to his friends, and even step back from helping with his own brother’s upcoming wedding preparations.
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The sequence of events began on the morning of November 16. Sorti left his home, informing his family that he was heading to Pune for a football game. However, when he failed to return or respond to communications for two days, his family grew anxious and began a search. The mystery deepened when, on November 18, villagers alerted the Kasa police about a body found nearly 150 kilometres away from his residence, a location that did not align with his stated destination.
Palghar SP Yatish Deshmukh confirmed that no suicide note was found at the scene. The postmortem report from JJ Hospital has stated the cause of death as hanging. A critical part of the investigation now revolves around Sorti's final phone calls. "He called up several people that day and we will contact them. His phone was found," SP Deshmukh stated. The police are meticulously verifying his last conversations to understand his state of mind. They are also checking if he was undergoing any medication for his mental health. A sub-inspector has been assigned to lead the probe into the Accidental Death Report.
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Sagar Sorti’s death puts a spotlight on the silent challenges of mental health. His identity as an athlete—someone assumed to be resilient—shows that depression doesn’t spare even the physically strong. The ongoing probe aims to bring closure to his family while stressing the need for greater mental health awareness.
