Kasaragod: The search for a 15-year-old schoolgirl and a 42-year-old driver, missing for 25 days, ended in tragedy as their bodies were found inside the Merkala forest in Kasaragod's Paivalike grama panchayat on Sunday.

The deceased are Shreya and Pradeep C K from Mandekappu near Dharmatadka in Kayyar village. The residents have been on the edge since they went missing in the early hours of February 12, and their worst fears have come true.

Kumbla Station House Officer Inspector Vinod Kumar K stated that around 100 police officers had been combing the Merkala forest near their house after their phones last pinged off a tower in the area. The phones were later spotted near the bodies, which were hanging from a tree. The dense undergrowth delayed finding them, the officer said.

Shreya, a Class 10 student, belonged to a poor family. She is survived by her father Priyesh, a daily wage labourer, mother Prabhavathi, a worker under the MNREGS scheme, and a younger sister in Class 8.

Pradeep, a taxi driver considered close to the family, also vanished the same day. He was always available for the family on call, said panchayat member Rajeevi from Chevar ward. She knew the two families well.

The girl’s family had raised concerns about Pradeep’s influence on the girl, who went missing 19 days before the Class 10 exams were to start.

Some residents suspected they went to Madikeri because he has some connections there, said Zulfikar Ali B, panchayat member from Kayyar ward. "We never expected them to be found dead," he said.

Ali said Pradeep's long-time girlfriend, an Uppala resident, had also approached the Kumbla police station to file a missing person complaint.

However, the police were almost certain that they did not leave the Merkala forest, behind Shivanagar ground. "It is an isolated place with few houses," said Rajeevi.

The search 
Over 100 police officers combed the dense, harsh terrain where their last mobile signal had been traced. According to a cyber police officer, their phones died around 8 am on February 12. By then, the girl's father had called her at least 70 times.

On Sunday, officers finally found their bodies in the wilderness, 300 metres from the girl's house, in a state that indicated they may have died soon after they disappeared.

Police had deployed deployed drones ans dog squad, and combed the forest on foot, said the Station House Officer Vinod Kumar. "We were searching the other side of the forest. We did not expect to find them so close to the house," he said.

The families have identified the deceased, but as the bodies had started to decompose, the police made a request for DNA test, he said. 

Manjeshwar MLA A K M Ashraf said he was going to raise the girl's missing case in the Assembly on Monday when police found their bodies. "But they will still have to explain the delay of 25 days," he said.