Path frequented by wild tuskers; Saranya started trekking with ten-member group

KANNUR: A Malayali woman went missing while trekking in Karnataka's Kodagu district. G.S. Saranya (36), an IT professional and native of Kannur, now settled in Kochi, has been missing for three days. She went missing while climbing Tadiandamol, the highest peak in Kodagu.

Saranya reached Kodagu alone on April 2 from Kochi. The woman, who was staying at a homestay in Yavakapadi village near Napoklu, started trekking to Tadiandamol at around 8.15 am after obtaining permission from the forest department.

Saranya was advised to join another group of ten people due to the threat of wild elephants. It is reported that the young woman, who had started the trek with the group, later took a different path. When the group returned to the checkpoint at 4 pm, Saranya was not with them.

It is also reported that Saranya called the homestay staff to inform them that she had lost her way. However, after that, the phone signal was lost. Later, the phone went into switch-off mode. CCTV footage of Saranya entering the trekking path is available. However, footage of her returning has not been found anywhere.

A 60-member team comprising police, forest department officials and locals is searching in five sub-teams. Drones and sniffer dogs are being used 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.

Authorities are investigating the chances of an accident. Napoklu police registered a case in the incident and started an official investigation. Saranya's brother has also reached Kodagu.