By Shishir Prashant 
PrashantNews
Trekker Babibta Pandey was last seen walking outside her tent in Gui village in Uttarkashi district of Uttarakhand where she was listening to some songs on her mobile in the intervening night of May 29-30 after her two male friends took alcoholic drinks.
Thereafter, she was not found with the Uttarkashi district authorities launching a massive search operation to trace her.
Babita, a resident of Nainital district, had travelled to Uttarkashi district with two male friends — Harmanpal Singh from Udham Singh Nagar district and Harmanpreet Singh from Shahjahanpur in Uttar Pradesh.
“We are investigating this case from all angles on all kinds of possibilities,” said Kamlesh Upadhayay, SP Uttarkashi.
From caves to lakes, a massive search operation with help of drones and sniffer dogs is underway in Uttarakhand’s Garhwal hills for the 23-year-old Babita, an MBA student who mysteriously disappeared in Gui village just 4 km away from Alpine meadows of Dayara Bugyal.
“Our investigations have found that Babita Pandey was last seen listening to songs on her mobile by some people outside her tent,” said a police official who is monitoring the case. After 12 am on May 30, Babita’s location was not found.
A case has been registered against the two male friends who drank alcohol before dinner on May 29 night. Later, Babita and her two friends took dinner. After the dinner, they decided to go to the Gui tent but Babita came out and said she would like to listen to some music. This was the time when she was last seen.
Meanwhile, Anju Paandey, mother of Babita, is distraught. “I want my daughter back,” shrieked Anju Pandey, who met top police and district officials regarding the disappearance of her daughter.
According to officials, the trio visited tourist destinations including Harsil and Gangotri before arriving at Raithal village on May 28. The three trekkers began their journey from Raithal to Dayara Bugyal meadows on May 29 and stayed overnight at Gui Base Camp.
Following reports of her disappearance on May 30, a joint rescue operation involving around 150 personnel from the Army, Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP), State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), police, forest department and disaster management teams was launched.
Search teams have combed dense forests, lakes, steep slopes, trekking trails and caves within a five-kilometre radius using both manual searches and drones. With no breakthrough so far, rescuers have now turned their attention to a lake located near Gui Camp. An SDRF diving team equipped with specialized underwater search equipment has been deployed to examine the lake but found nothing.
Police said investigators are examining all possible angles, including personal disputes and other suspicious circumstances. Trek guides and individuals associated with the trekking expedition are also being questioned.