A Rapid Response Team of the Forest Department on Sunday rescued two youths who lost their way inside the dense Amarad forest near Thamarassery on Saturday evening. Mohammed and his brother Abdulla were saved following a tip-off given by local residents after seeing their motorbike near the forest border.
The youths told the police that they couldn’t return due to the fog inside the forest. The two were tracked nearly 15 kilometres away from the forest border. Though the rescue squads had started search for the missing youths on Saturday night, they were also finding it difficult to move along the dense forest.
The siblings told the police that they went inside the forest for sightseeing. They ventured for trekking after visiting the house of one of their relatives near Thamarassery. No other visitors were at the spot when the two were trapped inside the forest.
Though the two had mobile phones, the rescue team couldn’t track their location in time due to interrupted signals. When the squad reached their spot several hours later, the two were found standing near a cave to protect themselves from wild animals.
Forest Department officials said the rescue operation was a risky task as there was heavy rain. After long hours of search, they were spotted in an area which was closer to the habitat of wild elephants.
As the entry was made without securing the permission of the Forest Department, they were booked under the Indian Forest Act. The police also checked whether the two had any other intention behind the trip, violating lockdown regulations.
