'Adventurous' siblings lose way in Kerala forest, trapped overnight

A trekking adventure of two siblings into the forests of the rural parts of Kerala's Kozhikode ended up in a harrowing experience as the two lost the route and were held up in the forest overnight.

The two were spotted and rescued in a 12-hour-long joint operation by various agencies.

Mohammed, 25, and his brother Ahammed, 21, natives of Kasargod, were held up in the forest close to the Malabar Wild Life Sanctuary where many wild animals like tigers and elephants are present.

The siblings wanted to see the waterfall inside the forest.

The two had ventured into the forest from Kattippara near Thamarasserry on the suburbs of Kozhikode on Saturday morning. By evening some local people alerted the police that two youths were seen entering the forest and they did not return yet as their two-wheeler was still there.

Police traced their address with the help of the registration number of their vehicle and got their mobile phone numbers.

Thamarasserry sub-inspector Prajeesh said that luckily the two were in the mobile network coverage area and hence they could be reached over the phone. They said that they lost the route and literally trapped in the forest.

Subsequently, a joint team of police, forest officials and Fire and Rescue Services personnel launched a search by around 7 pm. They traced the path through which the two trekked based on the landmarks recollected by the two. The search went on overnight and lasted for at least 12 hours when the two were spotted by around 7 am on Sunday.

Thamarasserry forest range officer Rajeev Kumar said that the two went more than five kilometres into the forest and were close to the Malabar Wild Life Sanctuary. The rescue team kept on contacting the two frequently and hence the two remained quite comfortable.

On quizzing by the police and forest, the two said that they did not have any illegal intention but were just attracted by the waterfalls inside the forest. They were suspected to have made similar adventures earlier also.

The forest authorities initiated a case against the two for trespassing into the restricted forest area, which could attract up to one year imprisonment and a fine of up to Rs 5,000. The police registered a case for flouting the Covid-19 protocol.

Mohammed is into a catering business and his wife's house is in Thamarasserry. Ahammed is a student.