Reliance on Google Map Leaves 5 Youths Stranded in the Wild for 11 Hours

Bhubaneswar: Five youths were on Sunday night reportedly stranded for 11 hours inside a dense forest in the Saptasajya area in Odisha’s Dhenkanal district after they relied on Google Maps to reach their destination.

Their frightening story of trial and ordeal is no less than a plot straight out of any adventure-ridden movie that gives the audience Goosebumps.

According to reports, five friends —Sujitya Sahoo, Surya Prakash Mohnaty, Subhan Mohapatra, Himanshu Das and Arakshita Mohapatra — all students of a private ITI college in Cuttack-decided to go on a trip to Saptasajya, a famous Hindu shrine in Dhenkanal. They did not know that harrowing moments were waiting for them.

The youths went to Saptasajya on bikes. They reached the place at around 11 am. After parking their bikes on the foothill, they climbed the stairs of the shrine and offered prayers to Lord Ram in the temple atop the hill. Then they went to the Vishnu Baba’s mutt located a little distance away. While returning from there, they became disoriented and lost direction. Soon, they found themselves in the middle of the jungle. In whichever direction they went, they only found jungle. By then, it was 2 pm.

With no option left, they fell back on Google Maps. To their utter dismay, the route shown by Google Maps only led them deeper into the jungle.

After moving for around 10 kilometers in the jungle without any food, they got drained. At around 5.30 pm, the youths reached a spot called Bhuashuni Khola. They took a rest for some time there.

After trying for hours, one of them contacted a person and asked him the route to get out of the jungle. He asked them to walk towards the east. They tried to find out the direction using the compass on their mobile phones but failed.

With no option left, the youths called up the police, requesting help. Without any delay, the Dhenaknal police swung into action. With the help of the forest department, two teams were formed and immediately a rescue operation was launched. While one team proceeded from Majhi Sahi, the second team went up the hill from the Saptasajya temple side.

Eventually, the teams with the help of local people traced out the students. Then, it was around midnight. The operation took one and a half hours.

“We went a few meters in the wrong direction. I told my friends that Google Maps was showing the wrong direction and we should turn left. They agreed and we moved ahead. But we didn’t find the route to get out of the jungle. When we were rescued, it was past 12 o’clock,” narrated Himanshu Das.

The Divisional Forest Officer (DFO) and other top forest officials admitted that the rescue operation was challenging for them as it was raining and there was also fear of wild animals.

“After a strenuous search operation, we traced the students at Bhuashuni Khola, located deep inside the forest,” said Bibhuti Mohaptara, sub-divisional police officer, Dhenkanal.

“Besides the presence of reptiles and other animals, the area is also known for elephant movement. The terrain, rain and darkness made the operation challenging. On that day, there were elephants at a distant place. Had there been elephants nearby, it would have been more challenging,” said Sumit Kar, DFO, Dhenkanal.