Kozhikode/Madikeri: The search for a Malayali woman who went missing during a trekking trip in Kodagu, Karnataka, continues for the third day.

The woman, G.S. Sharanya (31), a native of Nadapuram in Kozhikode and an IT professional based in Kochi, remains untraceable as of Sunday.

Sharanya went missing on Thursday while trekking to Tadiandamol in Kodagu. The trekking group, including Sharanya, had obtained prior permission from the forest department before embarking on the journey. However, she disappeared during the journey.

Sharanya, who loves trekking and adventure, had travelled from Kochi to Kodagu and was staying at a local homestay. She had expressed a desire to go trekking alone to the homestay staff, but since that was not possible, she joined the trek with other members of the group. The trekking team consisted of ten people, including Sharanya, while the remaining nine were strangers to her.

Sharanya went missing just hours after the trek began on Thursday morning. Around 2:30 pm, she called the homestay to inform them that she had lost her way.

Homestay staff immediately began searching for her but could not locate her. Local villagers also joined the search in the forest area, but there was no success. During this period, Sharanya’s mobile phone went offline, prompting the homestay staff to inform the forest department and police.

Both the Karnataka forest department and police have conducted searches over the past few days. Dog squads and drones were deployed to assist the effort. On Sunday, reports indicate that a Maoist anti-insurgency unit from Karnataka was also expected to join the search. Members of this team are familiar with the inner forest areas, which is why they were brought in.

Left home two weeks ago

Sharanya is the daughter of Gopi and Shailaja from Nadapuram. She works in an IT company in Kochi and left her home in Nadapuram for Kochi two weeks ago. On April 2, she travelled from Kochi to Kodagu for trekking.

Karnataka police were informed on Thursday night about her disappearance. Her last tower location was detected near a forest area close to Irikkur, Kerala, raising questions about whether she had crossed back into Kerala. The Karnataka police subsequently informed the Kerala police.

PT Farash, Kozhikode Rural SP, received the information and passed it on to the Nadapuram police inspector. The local police confirmed that Sharanya had not returned home. As there was no information on Friday, her relatives visited the police station to report the case. After confirming that she had gone missing during trekking, the family also travelled to Kodagu. Nadapuram MLA EK Vijayan has been in touch with the Chief Minister’s office and the Rural SP regarding the ongoing search.