Carried away by rumours that the T.V. Palli forests in Prakasam district abounds with precious stones, K. Sivakumar, a bank employee from Hyderabad, set out on an arduous journey along with two of his friends, B. Krishna Naik and Hanumanth Naik, from the neighbouring Guntur district on Wednesday.
Sivakumar (44), a cashier in a public sector bank, however, paid with his life for his misadventure as he could not cope with the scorching heat after losing his way in between.
Mr. Hanumanth Naik (64), who also lost his way during the trek, was yet to be traced. Mr. Krishna Naik, after making a frantic search for his friends, could emerge out of the forests and alert the police in the early hours of Thursday.
The Podili police immediately fanned out into the forests and traced the body of Sivakumar later in the day.
Before being transferred to Hyderabad, Sivakumar worked at Peddakakani in Guntur district, where he developed a fancy for treasure hunts inspired by the stories narrated by the locals on the treasures hidden in and around Kottaiahkonda in the T.V. Palli hill range.
The trio, during their long trek, crossed five hill ranges before reaching Kottaiahkonda. They exhausted the water and food they had taken with them by then, said Circle Inspector Meera Saheb.
In all, 20 police personnel participated in the search operations in the expansive forests starting from the T.V. Palli check-post on the Ongole-Kurnool Expressway.
