Kerala Teens Pull Off Most Dramatic Disappearance — Sold Phone, Killed GPS, Rode Into Jungle... And Outsmarted Police

Last Updated:June 27, 2026, 10:14 IST

They sold one phone for cash, switched off the other two to blind the cyber cell, and vanished into a Wayanad forest — police had no digital trail for two days.

Three school students from Thamarassery in Kozhikode pulled off a remarkably well-planned vanishing act — selling a smartphone, switching off the others to dodge police cyber tracking, and packing rice, bread, a knife, and a tarpaulin before riding into the forests of Wayanad. They were found camping on a hillside two days later, and it took a Bollywood-style car chase by locals to finally nab them.

The trio — a Class 10 girl, 15, and two of her friends in Plus One and Plus Two — left home on Thursday morning under the pretence of going to school. The girl changed out of her uniform in a rubber plantation near school and left it behind. It was only when teachers called home to say she hadn’t shown up that the alarm was raised — and it soon emerged that two boys from the same school were also missing, along with their two motorcycles.

How Did They Plan It So Well?

The students had thought this through. To fund the trip, they sold one of their smartphones — worth ₹18,000 — at a shop in Thamarassery for ₹10,000. They switched off the remaining two phones specifically to prevent the police cyber cell from tracking them. They had also stocked up on supplies: a tarpaulin for shelter, rice, bread, a knife, and cooking vessels — enough to survive in the forest for days without anyone finding them.

What Broke The Case Open?

A rubber tapping worker spotted the three behaving suspiciously near the school and quietly photographed them on his phone before passing the images to school authorities. That confirmed the three were together. Police then reviewed CCTV footage and tracked them crossing the Lakkidi Ghat into Wayanad on their motorcycles.

Where Were They Hiding?

Deep inside the forest near Chitragiri in Vaduvanchal, Wayanad — camped on a hilltop spread across nearly five acres. Police, locals, and parents combed the forest and by around 8 pm on Friday, locals spotted the Plus One student first.

Then Came The Chase

The moment word spread that police had arrived, the other two jumped on a scooter and bolted. Locals were having none of it — they gave chase in their own vehicles in what witnesses described as a movie-style pursuit, finally intercepting the pair near Padivyal late at night. All three were handed over to Meppadi Police Station, where formalities were completed before they were released into the custody of their parents.

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