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Google Maps leaves French tourists, heading for Nepal, stranded in UP's Bareilly
Senior Superintendent of Police Anurag Arya was seized of the matter and instructed the police to guide them to their destination.
Two French tourists using Google Maps to travel to Nepal's capital, Kathmandu, from Delhi lost their way and got stranded in Uttar Pradesh's Bareilly on Thursday.
The duo, Brian Jacques Gilbert and Sebastian Francois Gabriel, was using Google Maps to navigate but got lost in the Churaili Dam area when they used a shortcut suggested by the app, news agency PTI reported.
The incident came to light when the villagers spotted the French nationals on a deserted road by 11 pm on Thursday and took them to a nearby police station.
Also read | How Google Maps helped solve, catch the murder in a year-old case
Baheri Circle Officer Arun Kumar Singh said they had come to Delhi from France by flight on January 7.
“They had to go to Kathmandu in Nepal via Tanakpur from Pilibhit. Both foreigners were way laid by Google Maps in the dark. The app showed them a shortcut via Baheri in Bareilly, which caused them to get lost and reach Churaili Dam,” the officer told PTI.
“When the villagers saw the foreigners roaming on bicycles on a deserted road at 11 pm Thursday, they could not understand their language. To avoid any incident with the two foreigners, they took them to the Churaili police outpost,” he added.
Senior Superintendent of Police Anurag Arya was seized of the matter and instructed the police to guide them to their destination.
Also read | Google Maps misleads Assam Police into Nagaland; locals hold them captive
Maps lead to damaged bridge in Bareilly
In a fatal accident in November last year, three people were killed in Bareilly when their car fell into the Ramganga River from an under-construction bridge. They navigated using maps, but the app failed to indicate that a portion of the bridge was damaged.
The GPS app reportedly misled the passengers into the under-construction bridge. The bridge also lacked safety barriers or warning signs, which added to the danger and led to the fatal accident.
Police said the car was driven at high speed, which did not allow the driver to salvage the situation. The driver could not spot the danger ahead as dense foggy conditions hampered visibility.
