Chikkamagaluru (Karnataka): Three days after a class 10 student from Kerala went missing during a family trip to Manikyadhara Falls in the Chandradrona hill range, she was found dead on Friday, police said.
The deceased, identified as Kumari Shrinanda, had been missing since Tuesday evening after she went trekking in the Chandradrona hills, they said.
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“The body has been traced, and the clothes she was wearing are intact. The body will be sent for a post-mortem, and further procedures are underway,” Chikkamagaluru Superintendent of Police Jitendra Kumar Dayama told PTI.
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“It appears to be a case of either a jump or a slip. We cannot see other possibilities for now, but it is part of the investigation, and we will ascertain the facts,” Dayama said.
“This is a popular tourist spot; tourists from Kerala and other places come here. This is the first time we are seeing such an incident. We have to examine it further,” the SP added.
An investigation is underway to determine whether the death was due to an accidental fall into the gorge or some other cause, with all angles being probed, they added.
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According to police, she went missing at around 5.30 pm on Tuesday while at the falls with her family. The family searched for her until about 8 pm before informing the authorities.
After receiving the report, police and forest department personnel launched a search operation in the area. Thermal drones were deployed to locate her.
Disaster management teams also joined the operation.
In a separate incident in Kodagu district recently, a 36-year-old woman from Kerala went missing while trekking in the Tadiandamol hills and was later traced and reunited with her family.
Following such incidents, Karnataka Minister for Forest, Ecology and Environment Eshwar Khandre has instructed authorities to formulate a standard operating procedure (SOP) for trekking safety, intended to serve as a "national model".
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