Beed (Maharashtra), May 20 (IANS): A 40-year-old farm labourer was found dead midway while walking from Pune to his native village around 400 km away in Parbhani district in Maharashtra, police said here on Wednesday.

According to Ambhora Police Station incharge Dnyaneshwar Kuklare, Pintu Pawar's body was found on Monday near Dhanora village in Beed district.

"The body was highly decomposed, indicating he may have succumbed much earlier. We also found some packets of biscuits and snacks in his bag. The body has been sent for autopsy to ascertain the cause of death," Kulkare told IANS.

According to preliminary investigations, Pawar hailed from a village in Manwath tehsil of Parbhani and worked as a seasonal sugarcane cutter in Pune.

After the lockdown was enforced on March 25, he stayed with his brother in Pune, but decided on May 8 to return to his village on foot.

He reached Ahmednagar after four days and contacted his family to inform them of his location before starting for Beed.

Pawar continued walking till he reached Dhanora in Beed and took a break to rest near a tin hut there, with over 200 km yet to be covered.

On Monday, locals complained to the police about stench in the shed's vicinity. Later, police found Pawar's body.

"The autopsy report is awaited. Meanwhile, since the body was in a very bad condition, the Dhanora villagers cremated it after informing the family members," Kuklare said.