A 36-year-old woman trekker, who went missing in Tadiandamol forests in Kodagu district on April 2, was found on April 5.Superintendent of Kodagu district Bindu Mani R.N. said Sharanya G.S, the trekker from Kozhikode in Kerala, was found about six kilometres away from the Tadiandamol peak by a team comprising the local Kudiya tribes and Forest Department personnel.The trekker, who had lost her way in the forests of Tadiandamol, was found in a “safe” and “healthy condition”. “She said she survived on water and slept near rocks during the night,” Ms. Mani said.Forest Minister Eshwar B. Khandre, in a statement, said the woman showed remarkable courage and resilience despite being alone in the forest for four days. Instructions have been given to safely escort Ms. Sharanya back to her home in Kerala, he said.Ms. Sharanya, who had travelled from Kerala for trekking and was staying at a homestay in Kakkabbe village, set out for Tandiandamol hills along with a guide and 15 other trekkers on April 2.While the rest of the group returned to the base camp the same afternoon, Sharanya did not. She called the homestay and informed them that she had lost her way. Mr. Khandre said search operations were launched immediately with the help of five teams.“As soon as the information was received, five teams comprising about 50 personnel, including police, an anti-Naxal force, a dog squad, and forest staff began search operations,” he said.Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and AICC general secretary K.C. Venugopal had expressed concern over the missing trekker. Following instructions from Mr. Siddaramaiah, search operations were intensified on April 5, with the deployment of additional personnel and drone cameras. About 40 additional forest personnel were deployed that day, taking the total number of teams to nine, he said.Mr. Khandre said he remained in constant touch with senior police and forest department officials.Acknowledging the assistance of the local tribal communities in the search operations, Mr. Khandre congratulated and extended his gratitude to all the personnel from multiple agencies involved in the search operation.“Owing to a lack of mobile network in the forest, her exact location could not be determined, which caused a delay in tracing her,” he noted.The Forest Minister also pointed out that if anyone from any State goes missing during trekking, it will be the responsibility of the government to locate them. “We have discharged our responsibility,” he said.Published - April 05, 2026 03:34 pm IST