Bhubaneswar: Forest personnel from the Rajnagar range in Kendrapara district on Monday rescued a woman and her son who had gone missing inside the Bhitarkanika National Park after they lost their way while catching crabs.
The rescued duo has been identified as Anjana Mirdha (45) and her son Ratindra Mirdha (18), residents of Debendra Narayanpur village under Rajnagar tehsil.
According to reports, Anjana and Ratindra, along with two fellow villagers — Ahalya and Chandra — had ventured around 10 km deep into the forested area of Bhitarkanika on Sunday to catch crabs. While Ahalya and Chandra returned home later in the evening, Anjana and her son failed to do so.
After the duo did not return home by night, their family members lodged a missing complaint at the Rajnagar police station. The police subsequently alerted the Rajnagar Forest Division.
Acting swiftly, the forest department launched a massive search operation with 10 teams deployed across different areas of the park. After hours of intensive search, the mother and son were located near Gupti Nature Camp, sitting beside a nullah. The duo had lost their way and remained near the water body overnight. They were spotted by the forest teams and safely brought back by boat.
Both Anjana and Ratindra were reported to be safe and in stable condition.
