Woman missing for 6 days found alive deep inside Ranikhet forest

Bageshwar: A 28-year-old mentally ill woman, who went missing during a walk with her father in Ranikhet’s Sundarkhal forest on July 1, was found alive on Tuesday nearly 12 to 13km inside a dense, wildlife-sensitive stretch after surviving for six days by eating grass and wild vegetation, officials said.The woman, a resident of Majkhali village in Ranikhet, had accompanied her father to the forest on the evening of July 1. While returning, she stopped on the trail after complaining of exhaustion, and when her father came back about 20 minutes later to take her home, she was missing. Family members first searched the area themselves and later informed police after finding only one of her slippers near the spot where she was last seen.Police and State Disaster Response Force teams then launched a search operation across the forest, with villagers also joining the effort. The area is known for wildlife movement, and the recovery of the slipper had initially deepened concern among the family and locals, though police said there was no evidence at that stage to confirm any animal attack.The breakthrough came on Tuesday when villagers who had gone to collect fodder heard her shouting from an isolated part of the forest.

They followed the sound and found her lying injured in the rugged terrain. Police and SDRF teams were alerted and reached the spot, from where she was rescued and carried on a stretcher for several kilometres to the nearest motorable road.Officials said she told rescuers during preliminary questioning that she had lost her way after getting separated from her father. With no food or drinking water available, she survived by eating grass and wild vegetation until villagers found her on the sixth day.Additional superintendent of police Harbans Singh said the search was launched immediately after police received information about her disappearance. “She was rescued from the forest in an injured condition and shifted to hospital without delay. Preliminary investigation indicates that she lost her way in the forest,” he said.She was taken by ambulance to govt hospital in Ranikhet, where doctors said her condition was stable. Police said her statement would be recorded in detail after she recovered, while officials advised people living near forest patches to avoid going alone into remote stretches and to immediately alert authorities if anyone goes missing.