A family from Bihar, on their way to Goa for a vacation, experienced a harrowing night in the Bhimgarh forest in Karnataka’s Belagavi district after relying on Google Maps for directions.
Ranjit Das and his family were on their way to Goa when the navigation app directed them through Shiroli and Hemdaga areas. Unaware of what lay ahead, they followed the path, which took them 7-8 km into the dense Bhimgarh forest. This incident is on the late night of December 4.
With no mobile network available, the family found themselves stranded, unable to seek help. Left with no choice, they spend the night in their vehicle, isolated in an unknown and potentially dangerous forest.
The next day, Das walked about four kilometers to find a mobile signal.
Once he was connected, he called emergency services using the helpline number 112. The local police responded to his call and rescued the family.
Khanpur Police Inspector Manjunath Naik said that after Das regained mobile connectivity and contacted emergency services, help was immediately dispatched.
Media reports quoted Naik as saying, “The Belagavi police control room informed the Khanpur police, who used GPS coordinates to locate the family and reach them with the help of villagers.
He also mentioned that the family was lucky to find mobile connectivity, as the forest is home to various wildlife, including a recent bear attack that seriously injured a farmer.
This is not the first time that Google Maps has faced criticism for wrong directions. In late November, authorities began investigating the app after three men died when their car, following a route suggested by Google Maps, drove off an unfinished bridge. The incident took place when the group was on their way to a wedding in Uttar Pradesh. The police said that the driver, relying on the app, took the car off the bridge and threw it into the river.
Earlier, in August 2024, X user Ashish Kacholia shared his experience of missing a Bengaluru to Mumbai flight due to an app’s wrong prediction. Kacholia, traveling over 50 km from the HSR layout to the Kempegowda International Airport (KIA), noted that Google Maps estimated that the journey would take 1 hour 45 minutes. However, the journey took him three hours, causing him to miss his flight.
