Kerala techie missing during Tadiandamol trek in Kodagu, multi-agency search intensified

A 36-year-old IT professional from Kerala , who went trekking in the forests of Tadiandamol in Kodagu district , has gone missing, prompting an intensive multi-agency search operation involving police, forest personnel and specialised rescue teams.

The missing trekker, G S Sharanya , had travelled alone from Kerala and stayed at a private homestay in Kakkabe village before beginning the trek on April 2. She completed formalities at a forest department checkpost where her identity and contact details were recorded prior to entering the trail.

Officials said Sharanya initially sought permission to trek alone but was asked by forest authorities to join a group of trekkers due to active wild elephant movement in the area. She later joined a group of trekkers and a guide to climb Tadiandamol, the highest peak in Kodagu , which rises to about 1,748 metres in the Western Ghats .

According to reports, the group began the trek at around 8.15 am on April 2 , but when the trekkers returned to the foothills by evening, Sharanya was missing , triggering an alert.

Karnataka Forest Minister Eshwar Khandre said search operations were launched immediately after the incident came to light. Initially, five teams comprising about 50 personnel , including police, forest staff, dog squads and members of the Anti-Naxal Force , were deployed to comb the forest area.

Following instructions from Chief Minister Siddaramaiah , the operation was intensified with four additional teams , taking the total to nine search teams working across dense forest stretches and alternate trekking routes. Drone cameras, sniffer dogs and thermal imaging equipment are being used to scan the rugged terrain.

Officials said the trekker had earlier contacted the homestay owner and informed them that she had lost her way during the trek , after which her mobile phone signal disappeared in the forest area.

Meanwhile, her brother has reached Kodagu to assist authorities , while local tribal residents familiar with the terrain have joined the search efforts. Despite several days of combing operations across the forest region, no trace of the missing trekker has been found so far , officials said