3 trekkers rescued after 6-hour operation

BENGALURU: A night trek undertaken by three city-based engineering students turned into a nightmare after they lost their way and reached the edge of a cliff. The trio was rescued by the district administration and locals following a six-hour operation on Saturday morning.

The students — Issu Somani, Prakar Kumar and Deepanshu — from Dayanand Sagar College of Engineering had embarked on the trek to Divyagiri Hills in Chikkaballapura district on Friday night. They started climbing around 3am and lost track of the route as it was dark. One of them got injured while trying to find their way. They couldn’t dial for help as there was no mobile network.

Around 4am, they reached a spot with mobile network and contacted police seeking help. Subsequently, Nandi Hills police were alerted and swung into action. A few locals were roped in to search for the trio. The students would have been in danger had they continued to walk, said police.

By 10am, police, locals and fire officials managed to track down the students, who were screaming for help, and safely brought them down.

They were brought to the police station and given first-aid; their statements were recorded before they were sent home with their guardians. The students ventured into the forest thinking they would reach the hill top. However, they lost their way due to fog in the early morning hours, said police.

Locals said the trekkers entered the core forest area, where bears and foxes are found. They were lucky to have been able to contact police in the nick of time as mobile network is often elusive in the area. Divyagiri Hills is one of the five hills covering Nandi village. Brahmagiri, Vishnugiri, Skandagiri and Nandi Hills are the others.