ERODE: Three tribal students who were stranded deep inside a reserve forest in Anthiyur in Erode district were rescued by the police and forest department personnel on Wednesday. Drones and even an Anti-Naxal Unit were deployed to search for them as top police and civil administrators stepped in as soon as they received information.
The rescued children — two girls and a six-year-old boy — are students of a residential middle school in Kinathadi Solaga village in the foothills of Bargur Hills in Anthiyur.
They were part of seven students who scaled the back compound wall of their school and fled without anyone's knowledge on Wednesday at around 7 am to return to their native places.
The trio were located after an intensive search for four hours in an area known for frequent wildlife movement including that of elephants and leopards.
"The girls are 11 and 12 years old. Of the other five boys, four are 11 years old, and one is only six-year-old. After the Pongal holidays ended, those who had returned to school planned to go back to their village again. They planned to walk through the reserve forest behind the school, reach the Kakkayanur village, and then travel by bus," police said.
But while walking into the forest, the two girls and the six-year-old boy who were rescued developed sore legs and had to rest. Meanwhile, four others, all boys, reached Kakkayanur. A few villagers questioned them and only then did it come to light that three students were stuck in the forest.
On information, the police, forest department officials, and tribal people jointly conducted an intensive search inside the reserve forest. The Anti-Naxal Unit also participated in this operation, as per the direction of District Superintendent of Police A Sujatha.
The search was also carried out using drones with cameras.
Speaking to TNIE, A Sujatha, SP, said, "We received the information very late. The school teachers initially searched for the students in nearby areas including the Anthiyur bus stand. They informed the police only after their search failed. Search operations were immediately intensified. The villagers also helped us. They took refuge on a rock inside the reserve forest. The search team rescued them from there."
Inquiries revealed that the trio got lost on a path inside the reserve forest.
They escaped through the back of the school to evade the surveillance camera at the front. Further investigations are on, sources said.
About 39 students, including 16 girls, are studying at the school. Children from the hill villages of Bargur are studying in large numbers. Five boys who fled are from the Kongadai village in the Bargur Hills.