Ten days after she the authorities are yet to make any headway on what happened to Babita Pandey, 24.
On Sunday, an aerial survey with a helicopter was done of the Dayara Bugyal trek which Pandey was attempting, and of the surrounding region.
Police had received information on May 30 evening about Pandey going missing from the Goi Base Camp area of the trek. Since the next day, a search operation has been on, involving around 150 personnel from the local police, SDRF, NDRF, Forest Department, Disaster Management QRT, and other agencies, with drones, sniffer dogs as well as teams from the Indo-Tibetan Border Police, Army and the Nehru Institute of Mountaineering. A deep-diving team has conducted searches in the lake and marshy areas near Goi Base Camp.
The authorities said they had inspected hotels, guest houses, and other accommodation facilities in the Dayara Bugyal and Raithal areas, reviewing CCTV footage, and conducting inquiries along the Agoda–Dodital route.
The family has blamed the two trekkers who were accompanying Pandey – her friend Harmanpal Singh and his friend Harmanpreet Singh – for her disappearance. But, sources said that while police have been questioning the two, they haven’t got much against them. “Their story has been consistent from the start,” said Superintendent of Police Kamlesh Upadhyay.
Pandey’s brother Harshit, however, raised several questions. “She told us she was going with her girl friends. Later, I was told by a friend that she was going with Harmanpal… We think she has been kidnapped. How can she vanish into thin air?”
Harshit also argued that with the three allegedly duped into carrying fake permits for the trek, how could the authorities be sure they had traced all the people in the area at the time.
Another problem police are facing is the heavy traffic in the area due to the ongoing Char Dham Yatra. “She was spotted the last time around 12 am on May 30,” said SP Upadhyay.
Pandey attended DSB College in Nainital for a BBA before signing up for an online course to pursue an MBA. As per Harshit, she picked up trekking only a year ago.
Harmanpal, Harmanpreet and Pandey left Ramnagar for Uttarkashi on May 26. They stayed at Dehradun, Harsil, Raithal, and Goi, among other places, and were spending May 29 night at the Goi Base Camp, when she went missing.
The family claims the group had a scuffle; Pandey’s friends have told police there was a disagreement over some music that was being played, after which Pandey “stepped out” of their tent.
