Miraculous escape for five adventurous teens after falling into 150-ft gorge

March 23, 2015

Bengaluru, Mar 23: Five city students had a miraculous escape after falling into a 150ft-deep gorge in Savanadurga, 60km west of Bengaluru, during a trek on Ugadi.

Ajith, 15; Manju, 14; Nixon, 17; Hemanth 17; and Sridhar, 18; and cabbie Lakshman, 18, all residents of Peenya, north Bengaluru, scaled Bilikallu-Karikallu, a 2,884-ft-high monolithic hillock. On their way back, while they were trying to get down a ravine, five of them fell into the gorge at 10am.

Lakshman, who managed to come out of the ravine, reached the foothill around 4.30 pm and alerted locals, who informed the forest and police departments.

Though local officials decided to wait till Sunday morning, their higher-ups ordered that rescue operation be launched immediately.

A five-member group of expert trekkers from Bengaluru reached the spot at 11pm and managed to reach the five students at the ravine bottom around 2 am Sunday, police said. The students were given food and evacuated to safety around 3am.

One of the stranded teenagers had a mobile phone and he was continuously given instructions by the experts to ensure that they didn't move around and harm themselves. Locals said no one had till now survived after falling into the ravine.

Comments

Add new comment

Coastaldigest.com reserves the right to delete or block any comments.
Coastaldigset.com is not responsible for its readers’ comments.
Comments that are abusive, incendiary or irrelevant are strictly prohibited.
Please use a genuine email ID and provide your name to avoid reject.

QR-code tips power Mangaluru's major drug bust: 25 arrested in 2 weeks

News Network

December 16,2025

Mangaluru, Dec 16: The Mangaluru City police have significantly escalated their campaign against drug trafficking, arresting 25 individuals and booking 12 cases under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act between November 30 and December 13. The crackdown resulted in the seizure of a substantial quantity of illicit substances, including 685.6 grams of MDMA and 1.5 kg of ganja.

The success of this recent drive has been significantly boosted by the city’s innovative, QR code-based anonymous reporting system.

"The anonymous reporting system has received an encouraging response. Several recent arrests were made based on inputs received through this system, helping police tighten the noose around drug peddlers," said the City Police Commissioner.

The latest arrests contribute to a robust year-to-date record, underscoring the police's relentless commitment to combating the drug menace.

Up to December 14 this year, the police have registered a total of 107 cases of drug peddling, leading to the arrest of 219 peddlers. Furthermore, they have booked 562 cases of drug consumption, resulting in the arrest of 671 individuals.

The scale of the seizure for the year reflects the magnitude of the problem being tackled: police have seized 320.6 kg of ganja worth ₹88.7 lakh and 1.4 kg of MDMA valued at ₹1.2 crore. Other significant seizures include hydro-weed ganja worth ₹94.7 lakh and cocaine worth ₹1.9 lakh, among others.

The Commissioner emphasized a policy of rigorous enforcement: "We ensure that peddlers are caught red-handed so that they cannot later dispute the case or claim innocence."

To counter the rising trend of substance abuse among youth, the Mangaluru City police have rolled out uniform guidelines for random drug testing across educational institutions.

As part of the drive, tests were conducted in approximately 100 institutions, screening an estimated 5,500 to 6,000 students in the first phase. 20 students tested positive for drug consumption during the initial screening.

Students who tested positive have been provided counselling and are scheduled for re-testing in the second quarter. The testing will also be expanded to students not covered in the first phase. In a move to ensure strict implementation, police personnel were deployed in mufti in some institutions. Reiterating a zero-tolerance stance, the Commissioner confirmed that random testing will continue, and colleges have also been instructed to conduct drug tests at the time of admission to deter substance abuse from an early stage.

Comments