Kozhikode:A massive search operation is underway to trace G S Sharanya(36), a IT professional from Eyyankode in Nadapuram, Kozhikode, who has gone missing while trekking in the forests of Madikeri, Coorg.

Sharanya entered the forest on April 2 to climb Tadiandamol, the highest peak in Coorg. A 60-member team of police and forest officials is carrying out an intensive search in the Betta forest region, with the anti-Naxal force also joining the effort.

Sharanya, who works at an IT company in Kochi, had booked the trek online and arrived for a solo expedition. However, after forest officials cautioned that solo entry was not permitted due to the threat of wild elephants, she checked into a homestay in Yavakapadi. On Thursday morning, she set out into the forest along with a group of 10 trekkers.

According to homestay staff, Sharanya sent a message around 2 pm saying that she had lost her way. The police were alerted immediately and a search was launched by the Karnataka Forest Department and police, but without success so far. It is learnt that she went missing in the spot frequented by wild elephants.

Forest Deputy Conservator Abhishek said her mobile phone is currently switched off, making it difficult to trace her location. Police noted that trekkers who lose their way usually manage to find the trail within two to three hours. Meanwhile, the group that had accompanied her on the trek returned safely by Thursday evening.

Sharanya is the daughter of Gopi Vadakkayil, a retired employee of the Vadakara Taluk Agricultural Development Bank and Shailaja. Her brother Shyam, an engineer based in Bengaluru, along with others, has reached Kodagu to assist in the search efforts.