A 15-year-old girl from Kerala, who went missing during a family holiday in Karnataka's Chikkamagaluru district, was found dead on Friday after a three-day search operation. Her body was recovered from a valley near Manikyadhara Falls, Hindustan Times reported quoting the police.
The case drew a major rescue effort after the teenager disappeared during an outing with relatives. Her body was found about 150 metres from the place where she was last seen, the report said.
The discovery has raised questions over how she went missing in an area with restricted access and barricades. Police said the zone has only one route for visitors to control tourist movement and improve safety.
Search Effort
The girl, identified as Srinanda, was travelling with nearly 40 family members. Her absence was noticed only after the group reached the mountain summit, HT reported.
Police then began a large-scale search across the mist-covered terrain. Officers searched for three days before finding her body near the waterfall site.
Around 60 teams were deployed across Chikkamagaluru during the operation. Another 10 teams were sent to neighbouring states to follow possible leads outside Karnataka. Investigators also checked 240 vehicles that were present at the site on the day she disappeared
Probe Continues
Police said an accidental fall is one line of inquiry, but other possibilities are also being examined.
"The body has been spotted and identified. It may be an accident but we are also probing other angles," police said, according to Hindustan Times.
A relative described the timeline of events after the girl went missing. "When I called her parents to say she hadn't reached the entrance, both of them were standing in the area where her body has now been found."
The relative also said police had earlier searched the same spot where the body was later found, but nothing was detected at that stage.
Last Seen
Family members told investigators that Srinanda had been exploring the area with other children shortly before she disappeared.
They said she had stopped to take photographs near the waterfall before she went missing. Police are continuing the investigation.
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