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Despite massive search operations involving drones, helicopters, rescue teams and local authorities, MBA student Babita Pandey and software engineer Abhishek Chauhan remain missing while trekking in Uttarakhand. What happened in the mountains, and why do investigators still have no clues?
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00:14Hello and welcome to Postmortem, the show where we put the spotline on incidents that shock us,
00:21yet leave us wanting to know more and more.
00:24Today we tell you how the hills of Uttarakhand turned dangerous for those who went there for fun,
00:30for a memorable experience, for adventure.
00:33But now they have turned into news headlines while their families are grappling with their disappearances.
00:48A trip that was meant to build memories has now turned into a nightmare for the family of a young
00:54woman,
00:55a 24-year-old MBA student.
00:57A massive manhunt is underway in the mountains and forests of Uttarakhand,
01:03a forest full of wild animals, especially bears.
01:07The entire forested region stretches for miles.
01:11Human settlements, police stations and law enforcement are located far away from these mountains and forests.
01:19But no stone is being left unturned to trace her.
01:24NDRF, SDRF, AOG, Nehru Mountaineering Institute, ITBP, Forest Department, local police, divers, civil defence, local residents, dog squads, drones and
01:38even helicopters.
01:40This has become one of the largest search operations in recent times.
01:47Every possible resource that can be deployed to find a missing person has been mobilized in the search for Babita
01:54Pandey.
01:55Yet, even after almost a fortnight, she hasn't been found.
02:01Search teams combed the entire region, but no trace is available in the forest, near the lake or anywhere in
02:08the surrounding mountains from where she disappeared.
02:11There is no evidence proving she is alive and none proving she is dead.
02:18Every lead has gone silent.
02:21As the days pass, hope continues to fade.
02:25Authorities have searched the region from the ground and from the air, covering miles of difficult terrain.
02:31But there is still no sign of Babita.
02:34The central questions remain.
02:37Where did Babita go?
02:38What happened to her?
02:41When and under what circumstances was she last seen?
02:45This story begins at Goy or Gui, the first designated campsite for the famous Dayara Bugial trek in Uttarkashi, Uttarakhand.
02:55The area attracts trekkers from across the country.
02:59On 29th May, Babita and her two friends began their trek from the base camp.
03:09Before evening, the three set up camp and spent the night in a tent.
03:14The next morning, when her two friends woke up, Babita was missing.
03:19They searched around the campsite but could not find her.
03:23Her bag and her shoes were still inside the tent.
03:27After searching throughout the day without any success, they reported her disappearance to a nearby police station about four kilometers
03:36away.
03:37The following day, police and forest officials began searching the area.
03:41Babita's mobile phone was switched off.
03:44By then, her parents in Ramnagar had also been informed.
03:48When Babita's parents received the news, they were shocked to learn that she had gone trekking with two male friends.
04:30Babita had told her mother that she was travelling with her female friends.
04:34In other words, she had left home after misleading her family.
04:38They did not even know who the two men accompanying her were.
04:42The two friends were identified as Harman Pal Singh, a resident of Uddham Singh Nagar and Harman Preet Singh, a
04:50resident of Shahjapur.
04:52Police conducted extensive questioning of both men but found no concrete evidence against them and yes, released them.
05:01But of course, they have been the center of many suspicions and their statement has been stoking doubts.
05:12According to their statements, after reaching the campsite on the night of 29th May, they began drinking alcohol.
05:21Babita became upset and left the tent carrying only her mobile phone and wearing slippers.
05:28The two men eventually fell asleep.
05:31When they woke up the next morning, they say she was gone.
06:03Coincidentally, a group of school children
06:05and teachers camping nearby were also present that night.
06:10They later told investigators that Babita had been sitting outside their tent listening to music on a phone.
06:17Some teachers even advised her that it was late and asked her to return to her own tent.
06:24Those teachers and students were the last known people to have seen Babita alive.
06:29Because since then, there has been absolute silence about her whereabouts.
06:39About 200 metres from the campsite lies a lake.
06:44Police initially suspected that Babita may have accidentally fallen into it during the night.
06:51Divers searched the approximately 9 foot deep lake.
06:55But no evidence was found.
06:57Authorities also contacted local villagers and the forest department.
07:03Villagers reported a significant bear population in the surrounding forests.
07:08Bears have previously attacked livestock and in some cases even humans.
07:14Search teams thoroughly combed the forest but found no signs indicating that a wild animal had attacked or carried her
07:23away.
07:23If that had happened, investigators expected at least some trace such as clothing, footwear or her mobile phone but found
07:33nothing.
07:59As days passed, additional agencies joined the operation.
08:03Including NDRF, SDRF, ITVP, the forest department, drone units and helicopter teams.
08:11Yet, no clue has emerged.
08:14This sudden disappearance without a clue has given birth to many theories.
08:20And the police currently have several versions.
08:23But no evidence to support any of them.
08:26Let's analyse each one of them.
08:29First one is that Babita disappeared voluntarily on her own accord.
08:35She chose to slip away silently under the cover of the dark night.
08:40This theory suggests that she may have intentionally disappeared because she had lied to her family about the trip.
08:48However, this theory has a serious flaw.
08:52Her parents learned about her travelling with two men only on 30th of May.
08:57Whereas she disappeared during the night of 29th May.
09:01She had gotten away with the lie.
09:04So why disappeared?
09:05In fact, if she wouldn't have disappeared, her parents would have never even known.
09:12This argument makes it a flimsy and unreliable theory.
09:17Second theory is about her friends and that they were involved.
09:22This theory suggests that one or both of her friends harmed her somehow.
09:28However, investigators note that no evidence of foul play has surfaced despite an extensive search.
09:34And one of the men was reportedly a close friend of Babita.
09:39Independent witnesses, the teachers and students have confirmed that Babita was alive after leaving her friends
09:47and was seen by them sitting alone and listening to music.
09:51Now comes theory number three.
09:53A wild animal attacked her.
09:56Given the area's bear population, this remains a possibility.
09:59Yet, investigators argue that an animal attack would likely have left behind physical evidence
10:07such as clothing, footwear or the phone.
10:09Nothing of the sort has yet been found.
10:11Now there is another theory.
10:14This is theory number four.
10:15She lost her way.
10:17Simply wandered off and couldn't find her way back.
10:22She became disoriented in the darkness and strayed far away.
10:25But after almost two weeks of searching and inquiries in nearby settlements,
10:31no one has reported seeing an unidentified young woman.
10:35And this has led to many questions about the investigation.
10:40The investigators later discovered another troubling issue.
10:44Trekkers are supposed to register their details on a tourism portal called Explore Uttarkashi
10:50before entering the region.
10:52Following Babita's disappearance, officials checked the records
10:57and found that neither her details nor the documentation submitted on her behalf
11:03appeared genuine.
11:04When the search for Babita began,
11:07the very first step exposed the gross negligence of the administration,
11:12especially the tourism department of Uttarkashi
11:15and the profiteering being carried out in the name of tourism.
11:19In fact, every tourist going for trekking is required to register their details beforehand
11:24on this website so that the tourism department has information about every visitor.
11:31However, after Babita went missing,
11:34when the tourism department started examining the records,
11:37it found that there was no entry in their documents under Babita's name at all.
11:43and whatever entry did exist was completely fake.
11:50So, Babita Pandey's name is called Explore Uttarkashi.com.
12:06At present, the tourism department has suspended the license of the travel agency
12:11that committed fraud in the name of documentation.
12:15But it is also true that after this fraud,
12:18a young woman has been missing for days
12:21and no one has a clue about her whereabouts.
12:27So, what's the purpose is about
12:29It's called an access to a public agency
12:31which has some documents uploaded
12:35by the public branch
12:36and made a public loan
12:36and we have suspended the news
12:38by which the public loan
12:39that there will not be able to see any activity in this public.
12:41And from another agency,
12:42we also want to say that
12:45whoever the public loan
12:47is uploading the documents
12:48and then you will have to do the responsibility
12:50of that of the public loan
12:51that will be responsibility
12:54For now, Babita's family is hoping that in the coming days, some information about her
13:00will emerge and that this painful wait will finally come to an end.
13:05Babita is the only sister of two brothers and her family remains deeply traumatised by
13:12her disappearance.
13:22Prashashanthi is also helping our living and living, and the NDRF and HDRF are all
13:30in place.
13:31But it seems that Prashashanthi is missing complaints, but there are two chances that the kidnapping
13:42or any other case should be taken care of.
13:46But let's also look at the unanswered questions in this matter as the mystery remains unsolved.
13:54Why did Babita's companions wait until the evening of May 30th to report her disappearance?
14:01Were there other trekkers camping nearby that night?
14:05Have all those individuals been identified and questioned thoroughly?
14:10Could gaps in tourist registration records be hampering the investigation?
14:18Babita's mobile phone was last active in Goi around midnight on 29th May.
14:24After that, it was switched off.
14:26More than a week later, despite one of the largest search operations in the region, Babita
14:32Pandey remains missing, leaving her family and investigators searching for answers.
14:39Babita's story was already grabbing the headlines, while another shocking incident surfaced, highlighting
14:45the dangers that lurk in exploring forests and trekking along.
14:49Noida resident Abhishek's family are also now waiting for any news to trick in about him as
14:56he remains missing from Pindari Glacier route.
15:05The mountains are silent, the forests are also silent and somewhere in these unforgiving
15:11Himalayan valleys, a 28-year-old software engineer has vanished without a trace.
15:20Today we bring you the mystery of Abhishek Chauhan, a young man who left for an adventure
15:25in Uttarakhand's breathtaking Pindari Glacier, but never returned.
15:30What happened to him?
15:37Did he slip into a deadly gorge?
15:40Was he swept away by the raging Pindar River?
15:43Or is there something more sinister behind his disappearance?
15:49This is the story of a trek that turned into a nightmare.
15:52Now let's start from the beginning.
15:53The date was May 28th.
15:56Abhishek Chauhan, a 28-year-old software engineer originally from Shamli in Uttar Pradesh and
16:02living in Noida, arrived in Uttarakhand with his friends.
16:05Like thousands of adventure enthusiasts, he had come to experience the beauty of the famous
16:11Pindari Glacier trek.
16:13Towering mountains, deep valleys, dense forests and landscapes that attract trekkers from across
16:19the country.
16:20For Abhishek, it was supposed to be another memorable journey.
16:25But within 24 hours, everything would change.
16:29On May 29th, the group was returning from the glacier.
16:33The weather in the mountains was unpredictable.
16:37Clouds drifted across the peaks.
16:39The narrow trekking path wound along dangerous slopes above the Roaring Pindar River.
16:45However, as the group reached an area near Malia Dhod, Abhishek stopped.
16:51According to the guide who was with him, he wanted to take photographs.
16:56The scenery was stunning.
16:57The guide claims Abhishek told him to continue ahead towards a nearby rest stop while he spent
17:05a few minutes capturing pictures.
17:07It seemed like a routine decision.
17:09But Abhishek's parents have questioned the guide's version and asked for a deeper investigation
17:15into his movements and call records.
17:18Nobody imagined that those few minutes would become the last known moments before his disappearance.
17:29Now, the guide claims that he continued walking.
17:33He expected Abhishek to catch up shortly.
17:36But minutes passed and then more time passed.
17:39And Abhishek never arrived.
17:41At first, there was no panic.
17:43Perhaps he had stopped for more photographs.
17:46Perhaps he was walking slowly.
17:49But as the delay grew longer, concern turned into alarm.
17:53The guide retraced his steps.
17:55He searched the trail.
17:57He called out Abhishek's name.
17:59There was no response.
18:00No sign of him.
18:01As darkness began to fall over the mountains, the guide informed forest officials that a
18:07trekker had gone missing.
18:09A search began immediately.
18:11But the mountains revealed nothing.
18:16As the downside was that said to Abhishek's reports of Abhishek's death and the police
18:19stopped in a 큰 shape.
18:24In this situation, police have really been the same people in their life.
18:27In that situation, police have set up 30 people in the next whole team.
18:31And they were still standing up there.
18:42the next morning rescue teams entered the area and then came the first clue a clue that raised
18:49even more questions search teams found abhishek's camera it was lying on rocks near the pindar river
18:56just 50 meters below the point where he was last seen the discovery immediately changed the
19:03direction of the investigation how had the camera reached there did it fall accidentally did abhishek
19:10fall while taking photographs or had something else happened rescuers expanded the search area
19:17and soon more belongings were discovered his raincoat his shirt his cap all found further down
19:24along the riverbank but there was one thing missing abhishek himself
19:33now investigators feared the worst the slopes in this region are steep one misstep can send a person
19:41tumbling hundreds of feet and below lies the fast flowing pindar river known for its powerful currents
19:51to the riverbank
20:11authorities began considering the possibility that abhishek may have slipped while taking photographs
20:18fallen down the mountainside and been carried away by the river but there was a problem there was
20:25still no direct evidence proving that theory no eyewitness no body no final answer only scattered
20:33belongings and growing uncertainty
20:40as the days passed the operation grew larger soon multiple agencies joined the search sdrf teams ndrf
20:49personnel local police forest officials fire service team even local villages familiar with the terrain
20:56together they launched one of the most intensive search operations seen in that area the search
21:03zone stretched nearly 25 kilometers along dangerous river banks and mountain slopes rescuers descended into
21:11deep ravines using ropes teams can dense forest they searched caves hidden inside rocky cliffs
21:19every possible location was checked yet abhishek remained missing
21:30technology was also brought in into the operation drones flew above valleys that humans could barely reach
21:36dogs scored also searched rescue teams mapped routes and revisited every possible movement that abhishek
21:44could have made but harsh weather repeatedly interrupted their efforts heavy rain poor visibility
21:50slippery slopes every passing day made the search even more difficult and every passing
21:56day reduced the chances of finding new clues then investigators decided to go back to the beginning
22:10of the scene where abhishek had been last seen they recreated the sequence of events step by
22:17step minute by minute where did he stop what angle was he facing could he have slipped while taking
22:24photographs could he have wandered off the trail could another possibility have been overlooked investigators
22:31hoped that revisiting the scene would reveal something but so far the mystery remains unsolved
22:39for the reason the
23:09after learning of his son's disappearance.
23:11Unable to accept that there were still no answers,
23:14he filed a police complaint demanding a thorough investigation.
23:19He has even asked authorities to examine
23:21whether there could be any foul play or conspiracy
23:24behind his son's disappearance.
23:27Because for a father, unanswered questions
23:30are often more painful than bad news.
23:36These incidents have led us to question
23:39the safety precautions undertaken by the state of Uttarakhand
23:43and the local operators.
23:44After all, trekkers roam across the jungles and hills
23:48in large numbers.
23:50Such incidents may be rare,
23:52but they still expose gaps in the establishment's efforts
23:56to secure these trekking routes.
23:59And then of course, there is the angle of personal security.
24:02A word of caution for those who love adventure.
24:06Adventure should not come at the expense of personal safety.
24:10So stay safe.
24:12That's all we have for you in today's episode.
24:14It's time for a short break now.
24:16Keep watching India Today.
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24:47Transcription by CastingWords
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