A 35-year-old IT professional from Kerala missing during a trek in the Tadiandamol hills of Karnataka’s Kodagu district has been found safe after four days of search, family and officials announced today.
The woman, Sharanya, a native of Kozhikode who is currently working in Ernakulam, had travelled to Kodagu for a trekking trip. She had arrived at Kakkabe village on Thursday morning and later moved to the Tadiandamol trekking point.
According to reports, Sharanya reached the forest department check post around 8:30 AM. Because solo trekking is not permitted in the region, she was asked to wait and was later allowed to join another group heading toward the peak. She was expected to return to the check post by around 1:30 PM the same day.
But when she did not return, the homestay owner made calls and tried to contact her. At first her phone was not in reach but a few minutes later she said she lost herself in the woods. After that, all attempts to get her had gone wrong and so the search was on.
A heartfelt moment, an emotional father hugs his daughter Sharanya a techie who had gone missing during a trek in Kodagu's Tadiyandamol, she was found after 4 days deep inside the forest area, she managed to survive by eating some of the items she had carried on her. pic.twitter.com/0xBJG0t35r
— Deepak Bopanna (@dpkBopanna) April 5, 2026
Over 40 people were involved in the search, including forest department staff, police experts and local residents. Sniffer dogs were also deployed to find her location. But so far there were no immediate leads so the situation was very tense.
Sharanya had apparently walked deep into the forest and, tired after hours of walking, sought shelter in an abandoned building. She had no clear direction and no resources to stay there for days till help arrived.
Local tribal communities also played a major role in the search effort. Indeed, the indigenous community in the hill region even prayed to their local deity for her safe return.
Finally, after all the effort and hard work, the search teams were able to locate Sharanya. She was found alive but tired, she was safe to go back and then taken home and brought to safety. She is safe and doctors have said she is in no danger, she is going to be treated as a precaution.
This incident helps to highlight the risks of trekking in dense forest and safety precautions should be taken. Trekkers should not go off alone and the forest authorities have also issued strict guidelines.
The successful rescue has brought great relief to all involved and is a testament to the combined efforts of the police, forest officials, local communities and rescue teams.
