Kerala teen who went missing during hike with family in Karnataka found dead 4 days later
Srinanda, a resident of Kadambazhipuram in Kerala's Palakkad district, went missing on Tuesday evening while part of a group of around 40 relatives visiting the Chandradrona Hills in Karnataka's Chikkamaguluru.
A 15-year-old girl from Kerala who went missing during a family visit to a tourist site in Karnataka’s Chikkamagaluru district was found dead on Friday in a valley near Manikyadhara Falls, police said, concluding a large-scale search operation that lasted four days.
According to a relative, the body was discovered about 150 metres from where the girl was last seen, and they had already searched there before, but could not find her. This has raised suspicions about the circumstances of her death.
The student, Srinanda, from Kadambazhipuram in Palakkad district, went missing on Tuesday evening while part of a group of around 40 relatives visiting the Chandradrona Hills. Her absence was noticed after the group reached the summit, prompting a search led by Chikkamagaluru Rural police.
Police say all angles being probed
SP Jitendra Kumar Dayama confirmed the recovery of the body. "The body has been spotted and identified. It may be an accident but we are also probing other angles," he said, adding separately that post mortem and other procedures would follow.
The body was found not far from the location where she had been reported missing. Police said the area is heavily barricaded with a single access route and are examining whether she may have fallen from a viewpoint, while continuing to investigate other possibilities.
Search spanned multiple teams and states
The search intensified in the days after her disappearance, with around 60 teams deployed locally and another 10 teams sent to other states.
Investigators identified 240 vehicles present at the site that day amid early suspicion of abduction. Forest department officials assisted in the operation, and thermal drones were used to scan the terrain.
Body found at spot searched before
Family members said the location where the body was found had been searched earlier without success.
A relative said it was about 150 metres from where she was last seen, on the opposite side of the parking area. "When I called her parents to say she hadn’t reached the entrance, both of them were standing in the area where her body has now been found," he said, adding that police had previously checked the same spot without finding anything.
Relatives told investigators she had been moving around with other children shortly before she went missing and had paused to take photographs near the waterfall.
Safety concerns over trekking trips
The incident comes as the Karnataka Forest, Ecology and Environment Department moves to strengthen safety measures for trekkers. On Thursday, Minister Eshwar Khandre directed officials to prepare a comprehensive standard operating procedure for trekking safety, citing multiple incidents of visitors going missing in forested areas.