Bengaluru: A 36-year-old woman from Kerala who went missing while trekking in the Tadiandamol hills of Kodagu district four days ago has been found safe and is being brought back, the office of Karnataka Forest Minister Eshwar Khandre said on Sunday.
G S Sharanya had travelled alone from Kerala for the trek and was staying at a private homestay in Kakkabe village. On April 2, she set out for the high mountain range with a guide and 15 other trekkers but went missing that afternoon.
Following her disappearance, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah instructed authorities to intensify search operations. Additional personnel and drone cameras were deployed, and five teams comprising 50 personnel—including police, the anti-Naxal squad, a dog squad, and forest staff—began the search. Four more teams of 40 personnel were later added, bringing the total to nine teams.
Sharanya had last contacted the homestay on Thursday, reporting that she had lost her way. Local tribal residents also joined the search, while sophisticated thermal drone cameras assisted the operation, according to the minister.
She has now been located safe, bringing relief to her family and authorities involved in the search.
With PTI inputs