Three women who lost their way while searching for a missing cow in the dense forests of Kerala’s Ernakulam district were rescued early on Friday after a 14-hour intensive search operation. The women, identified as Parrukutty, Maya, and Darli Stephen, were found in the Arakkamuthy area, about six kilometers deep inside the forest near Kuttampuzha, and safely brought back to their village.
The incident began on Thursday afternoon when the women ventured into the forest to find a cow belonging to Maya’s family, which had been missing since Wednesday. The cow, a valuable asset for the family, led the women toward the Munnipara area near an old medicinal plantation. Their house is located along the forest boundary, making such searches common but risky.
While navigating the forest, the women encountered a herd of elephants, forcing them to scatter in panic. Maya, the only person to have a phone, briefly called her husband to inform him about the encounter and their location on a rock, but the call was cut off due to poor network coverage, as reported by Mathrubhumi. Further attempts to reach the women failed, heightening concerns for their safety.
A massive rescue operation was launched around 3 PM Thursday, involving police, fire and rescue teams, forest officials, the Excise department, and local residents. Despite dense forest and nightfall, the team persisted and located the women at Arakkamuthy. They had taken refuge on a rock pile to protect themselves from wildlife.
The rescue team brought the women back to their village around 8:40 a.m. Friday. Officials confirmed that the women were unharmed despite spending the night in the forest.
Divisional Forest Officer (DFO) told the media that the women were found at Arakkamuthi, 6 km away from the residential area, and they were taken back to the village on Friday morning, reported on Manorama.