Kothamangalam: In a recent development, the three women who went missing in Kuttampuzha after venturing into the forest to search for their lost cow have been found on Friday early morning. All three are safe and healthy and were found at Arakumuthi, six kilometres away from the forest.

Maya Jayan, Parukkutty, and Darli ventured into the forest on Thursday afternoon to search for a cow that had gone missing on Wednesday. When the women failed to return, authorities launched a search operation following concerns from their families.

Maya had contacted her husband by phone, informing him that they had encountered a wild elephant and fled in different directions. She remained in contact with her family until 4.15 pm on Thursday, and informed them that she was sitting on a rocky area and requested a bottle of water. However, when forest officials asked for the exact location, she could not provide clear details. One of the local searchers remained in contact with Maya until 5 pm before the call was disconnected.

Maya had initially gone alone in search of the cow. When she failed to locate it, she went back around 3 pm with Parukkutty and Darli and ventured deeper into the forest, heading toward the Munnipara area near an old medicinal plantation. Their home is located near the forest boundary.

The search, led by Forest Range Officer R Sanjeev Kumar and Kuttampuzha CI PA Faisal, involves four teams comprising 50 members. Using drone surveillance, the teams combed a six-kilometer radius within the forest until late Thursday night but were unable to find the women.