Four college students from Sinhgad Technical Institute College in Vadgaon, Pune, who had gone on a trekking expedition in the beautiful Maval region, were successfully located and rescued after getting lost. The incident occurred on June 27 when they encountered bad weather and unfamiliar surroundings, leading to worried parents reaching out to the local authorities for help.
Luckily, moments before their mobile phone ran out of battery, the stranded college students were able to send their final known location to their concerned parents. This vital information proved instrumental in speeding up the rescue mission.
The students had set out on a trek from Kondeshwar to Dhak Bhairi, but due to heavy rain, thick fog, and the difficult forest terrain, they lost their way. Concerned about their safety, parents contacted the local police, who promptly began a search mission at approximately 10 pm on Tuesday.
Recognizing the seriousness of the situation, the Kamshet police station sought help from various organizations, including Shivdurg Mitra Lonavala, Disaster Mitra Maval, and Wildlife Rescuers of Maval.
Thanks to the combined efforts of these organizations and the help of the local community, the missing students were eventually located. After an intense search that lasted five hours, the rescue team successfully found the students near the Kusur Plateau at around 3:30 am on Wednesday. While the students were physically unharmed, they understandably felt frightened and shaken by the difficult experience they had gone through.
The dedicated rescue team consisted of members from Shivdurg Mitra Lonavla, including Sunil Gaikwad, Mahesh Mhasne, Yogesh Umbre, Ratan Singh, and Harsh Tonde. Additionally, Nilesh Sampatrao Garade, the founder of Wildlife Protector Maval, Ganesh Nisal, the chairman of Disaster Management, Ganesh Dhore, Vinay Sawant, Satyam Sawant, Shubham Kakade, Kamal Pardeshi, Jigar Solanki, Vicky Daundkar, Sahil Nair, and the local villagers, along with the Police Patil, all played vital roles in the successful rescue mission.