Search intensifies for Malayali woman, who went missing while trekking in Kodagu

BENGALURU: The search for Saranya of Nadapuram in Kozhikode who went missing while trekking at Kodagu in Karnataka, will continue today. The search is being carried out jointly by the officials of the Karnataka Forest Department and the police. Saranya G S (36), a software engineer in Ernakulam, reached Kodagu alone. The woman went missing since April 2. She had come to climb Thadiyandamol, the highest peak in Kodagu.

Saranya reached Kodagu from Kochi on April 2. Saranya, who stayed at a homestay in Yevakapadi village near Napoklu, started trekking to Thadiyandamol at around 8.15 am after getting permission from the forest department. Saranya was advised to go with another 10-member group due to the threat of wild elephants. It is hinted that the woman, who started the journey with the group, walked alone while trekking and may have taken a different path. When the group returned to the check post at 4 pm, Saranya was found missing.

Saranya had called the homestay staff on the phone to inform them that she had lost her way. However, after that, her phone signal was lost. The phone was later switched off. The CCTV footage of Saranya entering the trekking path has been available. However, footage of her returning could not be found anywhere.

A 60-member team of police, forest department officials, and locals had divided into five sub-teams and conducted a search yesterday. They are using drones and sniffer dogs to search the inner parts and paths of the dense forest. The adverse weather conditions in the dense forest pose a serious challenge to the search. In addition, the rescue mission is extremely complicated in this forest area, where wild elephants frequently descend.

The authorities are investigating whether Saranya met with an accident or got lost in another part of the forest. The Napoklu police have registered a case in the incident and started an official investigation. Saranya's brother has also reached Kodagu.