Bengaluru: 28-year-old missing man found after 8 days

A 28-year-old man who went missing in a forest near Kundapur has been found after 8 days. He had gotten lost while fetching a tree and was suffering from exhaustion and hunger.

A 28-year-old man who had gone missing in a dense forest near Kundapur has been found after spending eight days in the wilderness, officials familiar with the development said on Sunday. The incident took place in Tombattu, Machhattu village, under Amasebailu Gram Panchayat in Udupi district.

Vivekananda (HT Photo)

According to officials, Vivekananda, a 28-year-old man, had ventured into the forest on the September 16 afternoon to fetch a tree.

However, while returning, Vivekananda lost his way and disappeared in the dense forest, located 4 km from his home. He was accompanied by two pet dogs.

Unaware of his forest expedition, Vivekananda’s family grew concerned when he failed to return in the evening. They alerted their neighbours and initiated a search operation, that continued till late night, with the help of local villagers. The Amasebailu police and forest department also joined the search operation being carried out by around 100 villagers, on September 17, the officials said.

Despite relentless efforts by more than a hundred searchers each day from September 17 to September 22, the villagers could not find Vivekananda.

However, on the 8th day, Vivekananda was seen coming out of the forest, around 4 km from his home.

After noticing Vivekananda, his family members informed the villagers and also provided him medical treatment. After being found after 8 days, Vivekananda was suffering from severe exhaustion and hunger, the officials added.

The police officials said that a missing complaint of Vivekananda was registered on September 17. “We had registered a missing complaint last Sunday and searched for him along with forest officials and villagers till Friday,”Amasebailu police sub-inspector Sadashiva Ramappa Gavaroji told HT.

He said after all efforts the police had stopped the search on Friday, however, the missing person was found on Saturday.

He was later taken to the hospital for a check-up, where the doctors said that there was no cause for concern regarding his health.

The officials said that the area where Vivekananda had gone missing is home to various wild animals, including leopards, wild boars, and wild koon. Venturing alone into the area at night is considered extremely risky.

On Saturday, Byndoor MLA Gururaj Gantihole visited Vivekananda’s home and met his family members.