Kerala Trekker Found Safe After 4 Days in Kodagu Hills

A 36-year-old IT professional from Kerala, GS Sharanya, was found safe on Sunday after going missing for four days during a trek in the Tadiandamol hills of Kodagu district, Karnataka. Officials from the office of Karnataka Forest Minister Eshwar Khandre confirmed her rescue, stating that she is being brought back to safety.

Sharanya, a resident of Nadapuram in Kozhikode district who works for an IT firm in Kochi, had traveled alone from Kerala to the area for the adventure. She was staying at a private homestay in Kakkabe village and set out on the trek on April 2, joining a group of about 15 other trekkers along with a guide. Local forest authorities had required her to participate in the group rather than trek solo, citing risks from wild elephants in the region. The group departed from the trekking base around 7 a.m., but Sharanya lost her way that afternoon.

Around 2:30 p.m., she called the homestay to report that she had become disoriented and might return late. Her phone soon went offline, prompting the homestay staff to alert authorities. Searches began immediately that evening, with five initial teams totaling 50 personnel, including police, an anti-Naxal squad, a dog...