Pathanamthitta: At least nine pilgrims have gone missing during the annual pilgrimage season at Sabarimala and are still untraceable.
Pathanamthitta Police have intensified efforts to trace the individuals who visited the hill temple between November 15 and December 20 and disappeared from Nilakkal, Pampa, and Sannidhanam.
The missing persons consist of four individuals from Tamil Nadu, two from Andhra Pradesh, one each from Telangana and Karnataka, and a resident of Kozhikode.
Addressing the situation, the Pampa Police have proactively initiated measures to investigate the cases associated with the disappearances. Recognizing the seriousness of the matter, Pathanamthitta District Police Chief V Ajith has entrusted the investigations to the Ranni Deputy Police Superintendent. Concurrently, the District Police Chief (DPC) is reviewing the progress of these cases.
The missing individuals from Tamil Nadu were identified as Raja (39) from Thiruvallur; Ezhimalai (57) from Thiruvannamalai; Karunanidhi (58) from Chennai; and Ayyappan (24) from Bommayya Palayam.
The Kozhikode native who is unaccounted for is 74-year-old Muthoran. From Andhra Pradesh, the missing individuals are Koribilli Babji (75) from Visakhapatnam and Gunda Easwaruda from Srikakulam. The pilgrim from Telangana is identified as 27-year-old Vinay, while the missing individual from Karnataka is Hanuman Thappa Unakkal (65) from Dharwad.
The police said they were treating these disappearances with utmost seriousness and are actively engaged in efforts to locate the missing pilgrims.