Status: Untraced - E9: Father Is One

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Visit shop.tenderfoot.tv and don't forget to use the promo code tftv20. Up in Vanis presents Status Untraced.
Episode 9 starts now.

You're listening to Status Untraced,

a production of Tenderfoot TV in association with Odyssey.

The views and opinions expressed in this podcast

are solely those of the individuals participating in the podcast.

This podcast also contains subject matter,

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We used to travel together. We used to eat together.
Everything which we do in normal life, we used to do together. What happened to him, we don't know.
Daruv Agarwal was last seen heading to Kierganga on November 9th, 2021, 11 days before our arrival in India. Originally, his family wasn't interested in speaking with us, but his older brother Abhishek had a change of mind.
Did he tell you what his reason was for going up to do the trek? There is no reason. Just travel to Khiranga for two days.
Feeling a lack of response, Abhishek and his uncles launched their own investigation in the Parvati.

What do you think that is? I am definitely sure. My brother was kidnapped and murdered, but I can't prove it.

There's more Abhishek wishes he could say, but he's wary.

Tourism is the lifeblood of the Parvati,

and speaking ill of it could put a target on his back.

There is, however, one person for whom he openly expresses distaste, Korkhan. Abhishek's family hired the search and rescuer to look for Daruv, and have since dropped all ties to the man.
He's the right hand of the drug mafia. He knows everything, every area, every gap gap everywhere in the Parvati Valley

but frankly saying

not a good person Sometimes I get the feeling I'm lost Yes, hiding, man, it's never enough Now I find that every mirror of ghosts Only once I saw the killer Once I saw the killer, once I saw the killer up close.

I'm Liam Luxon, and this is Status Untraced. He controls the room, the one filled with six other guys I wasn't expecting to be here.
A lot has been said about the man before me. I'm here to find out if the murderous accusations against him hold any validity.
But first, I just want to know some basics. Who is Korkhan, really? How did you get into search and rescue? When I was 13 years old, in the Parvati Valley, Korkhan explains that he began working as a porter in Milana, the ancient village known for producing the world's best hashish, and to be associated with mafias.

Through various gigs,

he eventually launched his business in the late 90s,

which, as he boastfully claims,

was the first search and can say, father is one, understand? Sure, yeah. Father is one.
If they stay with father, good. If they go here and there from father, so it's up to them.
Korkhan essentially just claimed there's a search and rescue hierarchy, and he's at the top. Father is one.
It's an odd thing to say, and leaves me wondering if it's his pride talking or a glimpse into something more threatening. What's really in this man's control? In trying to get to the bottom of it, I dig into his process.
How many cases have you done that you remember? Over a hundred. Over a hundred? And how many of those cases have you been able to find people alive? Almost, mostly alive.
But if we don't find that for three days, it's very difficult to find out in Khiraganga.

When you go to Khiraganga, you will see.

If somebody gets missing, we can search for one to three days maximum, I think.

But still the family, they force us to know, look more, look more.

So we can look one week, but more than one week, even family say, but we cannot do because they know that we don't find. I'll repeat his words because it's alarming.
We can search for one to three days maximum, I think. Still the family, they force us to know, look more, look more.
So we can look one week, but more than one week, even families stay, but we cannot do. Because we know that we don't find.
How many families, clinging to hope, have been met with this bleak pragmatism? I ask if this has been his approach with Dhruv Agarwal, the most recent case for which he offered his services. And still, because of family, because I don't want to hurt the family and family members

are requesting me, please, you are the person, you are our God, you are this and that.

This is not, I am saying this.

But if they are not giving me the right information, how can I find him?

Korkan claims he initiated search efforts, but that his work went unpaid.

If they really love their brother Dhruvagarbal, why they don't pay the money? If they can't pay, tell us they can't pay. I asked Abhishek if that was true.
Did he charge you for searching for him? He did not give any bill. Whatever he took from us, he took in cash.
So we gave him what he demand. I bring this up to Korkhan, and he corrects himself, saying he did receive 500 rupees, which is around six US dollars.
So what do you think happened to him? As far as specifics go, what do you think happened to him?

As far as specifics go, what do you think happened to Durif?

Was he robbed?

For that I tell you, look, I don't know.

I can't say anything, sorry.

For me, he's a crazy person.

Labeling a missing soul as crazy is pretty cold.

Thank you. I'm a crazy person.
Labeling a missing soul as crazy is pretty cold. I don't know if Korkans this open with his clients, but if so, it's no wonder Daruif's family, juggling exhaustion and misery, accused him of trading hope for profit.
They claimed he billed for searches that appeared nothing more than smoke and mirrors.

And I've also heard this from another family who accused him of the same stunt,

Bruno Mouchelix.

So this is what Pieter told me.

He told me that he thought that you were going around places

and just sending him photos and you weren't searching.

What's the response to that? If you don't't mind if I say that. Yeah, please.
You are first time here, yeah? Yeah. If you come here, you must know where to go, where to stay, to whom you trust, and whom you're talking.
If someone is calling you this and that, if you know personally, you can say something. Sure.
You don't know personally. Yeah.
But it's my life. My life, I make my rules.
I don't fucking care about the people. They think, **** is a good person, no good person, this, that.
Why? It's my life. I'm enjoying my life, that's the most important, no? It's not their problem, because they are just jealous.
And the shortcut thing I told you, father is one. I guess I hear what you're saying, but from what I'm hearing from Bieter, he thinks that you are just charging him, but not doing anything.
I'd like to understand why some people think that. So essentially your response to you weren't doing anything was that you were, but then they contacted other people and you weren't able to complete your job.
No, no, that's what I'm saying. I don't know if I just gave Korkan an out, but honestly, I don't think it matters.
It's still suspiciously convenient for him to claim incapacity to fulfill his contracts, when all he's dedicating is a mere three days of effort at best. And if that's his modus operandi, it doesn't sound like he's fully transparent about it.
I mentioned this three-day bit to Piotr Mouchalik and his friend Tomas, and asked when they hired Korkan if it was ever explained to them. Did he give you any sort of expectations? And specifically, did he say he was only going to look for three days when you first hired him? No, definitely no.
Korkhan could be telling me the truth, or this could all be a politician's act. So as he responds, I'm trying to read between the lines.
I'm assessing what makes him boastful, what irritates him, and what his reactions reveal. I'm trying to gather as much of a baseline of who Korkhan is, because I need some idea of how he'll react when I ask if his team is murdering people.
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It's not his first, and it's becoming harder to understand him. I'm torn between ending the conversation or pressing on.
The man before me, confidently wearing his mafiosa-like personality, still has much to answer for. But questioning him in the state doesn't feel right.
Reluctantly, I choose to step away. And later, when he's sober, I call him,

launching straight into the questions that demand answers.

First and foremost, do you have technical training in mountain rescue?

Yes, sir. I do trekking, and I train the guys for the mountains.
Has there been a time when somebody else performed the physical rescue and you took credit for it? I cannot say this. Okay.
You've never done that. But may I tell you that, okay, if myself is there on the mission, I'm not saying that, okay, every mission I'm there.
So I don't take any credit. If somebody say I take the credit, it's not like that.
They will be jealous or whatever. I don't know.
They want to say that I take the credit. Where I take the credit, you know, this is one teamwork.
I told you, sir, father is always in the problem because if you have more children, he's in the problem. So I'm the man father.
Father is one. That's why this trouble is coming.
Giving Korkhan the benefit of the doubt, I posed if these rumors could stem from his old prodigies, people who'd benefit to smear him. No, sir, no, sir.
Nobody's doing my business. I'm not saying that.
But this rescue is honest working. And we need to trust and believe each other.
Out of all these people that you've trained, all of these students, have you ever had an issue with a student? No, some of these boys, they work just one or two days with me, so I don't even give them certificates. What happened on those times? They just didn't follow your rules, or what was it? I tell you, I have not taken even one rupee from the administration.
When Korkan is referring to the administration, that's the local government body who sometimes assigns cases to rescue teams. But I'm seeing on Facebook, sometimes some boys blaming that administration, not giving bills, not getting money and this and that.
Why are they blaming to the administration? If they see their good work, they will give them everything. Why they go behind me? They go ahead.
Tell them, don't go back. Go ahead.
Go in your work. Focus on your work.
Don't focus on... Well, less about them, because to be honest, I feel like you've answered that now.
More questions directed more directly to you and your team. Has there ever been an instance when you found a body and you haven't reported it? No, not possible.
Because all police is with me. All police army is with me, sir.
I'm saying to you, I'm not alone. You tell them, it's not working alone.
Why you blame? Blame to the administration. Blame to the...
I hope so. Why to blame to me? With every question I ask, it just sounds like Korkhan is flailing.
Truly, I appreciate that he's talking with me and that it actually sounds like he's being open. But I'm a little confused by his words.
Because I would understand if it's his intent to actually help people. I would understand if he's made mistakes and takes accountability for them.
And I would get it if he feels like he's been wronged and painted as a villain for his failures. But when I explain to Korkan that people are saying he's a con man, that he doesn't actually conduct professional searches, and that some people have gone as far as saying his team hides bodies, dragging out searches for a bigger pay, what does he do? He points blame at the administration.
Kour Khan's stance that these accusations stem from disgruntled families, there is some truth to that. But the way he chooses to address it feels heartless.
This is search and rescue. Your clients are families of missing persons.

It's obvious that in order to do this job responsibly, it requires patience and compassion. And I think he knows that.
But when I ask him to further explain his brazen statements, he gets annoyed. Sir, Sir

Why they judge me like a god?

They have to trust me if they are not trusting me He gets annoyed. calling to me.
Whoever is not calling to me, their uncle is calling me, requesting me and crying on the phone. What can I do? All right, listen, I have one last rumor that I need to ask you about.
No problem. So someone told me that they believe that you or people on your team are making tourists disappear to create more business.

What do you have to say about that?

I don't know if it's possible.

Just send me the name of these guys, whoever,

or tell them to call to me and they even record the calling and send to you what is the problem, what they want from me.

I tell you if someone asks for help, I'm the person. I'm not looking for dead body, and this is not my job to look for the dead body.
My work is to save lives. Sir, I don't care others.
I know myself. That's enough.
Korkhan ends the conversation that day, but we'll continue to have talks. You're saying you can look for one to three days maximum, specifically going back to Daru then.
He went missing on the 9th, and the family approached you on the 12th. That's a three-day difference already.
Did you tell them that because of your experience that you no longer felt he was alive? I can't say anything for that. Most important thing, they go alone, which is not good.
Anything can happen to a lone person. Yeah.
Have you ever told a family that you believe it's impossible to find someone? It is difficult to find, but still the family,

they want that I do something.

If I give up or in the beginning I say,

no, I cannot do this, then their energy goes down

if I say no.

Yeah.

It's not easy because it's a trick.

I do actually think he means well.

He's proud of his career.

And what I come to believe is that he's not a murderer. He's a poor communicator.
The thing I'm kind of coming back to is that initial thing that you told me. So you do look longer than three days sometimes? Yes, sir.
Yes, sir, I do. But you don't really think that you're probably going to find anything after three days? It's I don't have evidence that he's guilty of fraud.
But his whole ideology of father is one, and to imply that other team's successes are also his success, I think it's just a sign of narcissism. So essentially, you kind of see yourself as like a father figure, like the leader.
Of course, that's what I'm saying, that if I trust someone, someone trusts me, then we can work together. What I am certain of, based on his own words,

is that he's a man of self-interest.

Business first, people second. When I asked you about the rumors about you, you thought it could be the families that were saying these malicious things, and then you said that you thought that they were crazy.
I just wanted to be clear, do you think that they're crazy? No, I'm not saying they are crazy, but you know, sir, it's too much stress, this kind of work. And you know, sir, when somebody's family member missing, how many things they have in their mind, how many questions they want to ask.
They have to think in every angle. They are free to think that.
So I follow them. But I cannot say that it's difficult to find now.
They can easily understand that. If we don't find one day, two days, three days, one week, two weeks, what we look for.
I get it. This job is tough.
Especially in a remote valley in the middle of the Himalayas. He has a valid point there.
But still, it doesn't minimize the sorrow felt by Bruno's and Daruva's family. They deserve answers.
Well, thank you. I appreciate you.
Thank you, sir. And when you're coming next time, India, come.
Most welcome. Given what we've learned, I think Justin Alexander's search party made the right choice in refusing Corkon's services.
He's not our culprit. He's not a lead.
He's just a guy in the rescue business who sounds like he's checked out. But clearing this thread puts us back on Justin's case with little progress.
There are still the identities of two suspicious figures. The couple, who descended the mountain with Justin moments before he disappeared, that remain unknown.
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Pulling onto a farm property, a young Indian man timidly greets us. How's it going? Liam, nice to meet you.
Yeah, absolutely. He motions for us to sit on log benches around a crackling fire.
After this case, I'm very disturbed fire. Hemraj Rajput speaks softly, his eyes lost in the flames.
Not long ago, he accepted my Facebook friend request and agreed to meet. While he says Justin's case haunts him, he's open to answering some questions.

During our investigation, we heard a tale suggesting that, in addition to the baba and the porter,

Justin came down the mountain with a couple, a guy and girl.

We were told the guy was Nirmal Patel.

Except Nirmal Patel has maintained a different story, insisting he crossed paths with Justin on the mountain. So which is true? There's evidence that Nirmal did hike with a group to Montalai that year.
So was this the group who passed Justin? The other hikers in the photo are the only ones who would know. And Hemraj is one of them.
They were on the way towards Pithi in September. Sometime in September? Yeah.
And who all was with him? How many people were there? Four or five people from Poland. Five people from Poland? Two people from Gujarat.
How long were you guys in Kurganga before the hike? One night. One night.
Arsteep continues to speak with Hemraj and Hindi, and asks if he ever met Justin. He speaks that the only conversation that they had with Justin was when they crossed each other.
Our first confirmation, this hiking group did cross-pass with Justin. How long was the interaction? How long did Justin talk about it? We were sitting here 20 to 30 minutes.
Okay. They had never met Justin before they left? Never.
Okay, so Justin didn't go with him further towards Spiti. Yeah, he left on his own.

Before they departed, Hemraj says they took the photos with Justin.

This is the only thing that's related with me and Justin is just the picture that we

had when we sat there for a few minutes.

Nirmal knew Justin before.

I said, where exactly?

He said, I have no idea about that because we never asked him how you know him and how

you met him before.

Their mall went for a while. Nirmal knew Justin before.
I said, where exactly? He said, I have no idea about that, because we never asked him how you know him and how you met him before.

Nirmal went with you?

Sorry?

Nirmal went with you?

Nirmal went with you?

Yes.

Our second confirmation, Nirmal Patel

was telling the truth.

Did Nirmal ever separate from the group just to go take photos for a little while or anything that day?

Was there anybody else that you passed along the trek

around that time that you thought was weird?

Any couples?

No.

Only Justin.

I believe Hemraj.

Beyond his willingness to talk,

he was the hired guide for this trip.

So these weren't his friends who he'd have a motive to protect.

But his insight also solidifies a gap in the case.

The couple remains a mystery,

and disproving the Nirmal claim

raises questions about the entire story's credibility.

Does this couple exist at all?

All we've been told is that it's a guy and a girl who were in Kierganga for a month, interacted with Justin, and were never seen again. Our search now points us to the path unexplored, the trail to Kierganga and Montalai Lake.
And just as we set our sights on it,

news leaks from the local police station.

Police have just learned of a knife point robbery that took place earlier this month. The victims did not immediately report the incident, but it's said to have occurred mere days before Dhruv Agarwal disappeared.
There's a rumor that this couple was robbed for 6,000 rupees at knife point. Yeah, by four guys.
By four guys on the way to Kierganga. Yeah.
If we're doing this Kierganga Trek, Yeah. Would it be beneficial to have Alex and me walk slightly ahead of you guys, see if we can catch these guys? I think we should bait them.
What do you think? Yeah, I don't want to get stabbed. Yeah, I don't want to get stabbed either, but...
I mean, I think we have to do this. Being among the few Americans here, we already draw attention.
So to appear like lone hikers and bait some thieves, it's not that it would be easy, it would be stupidly dangerous. Were there any reports of what these four guys look like? Not unless they don't make an FI, it won't be clear.
Got it. I feel like we have to do this.
I don't feel like we have to do it at all. Dhruv is also missing.
So we have it. I'm saying that? Yeah.
The same thing might have happened with Dh with Drew. So you're putting yourself in a position to just get stabbed

and thrown off a cliff.

It's not a smart move. We just have to stall him.
We'll be like, what do you want? I don't think there's any stalling. There's one chance of...
There's four guys. I mean, let's figure out a way for this to be safe, but I think that that's what we should do.
I think we should bait him. Back at the hotel, I continued to push the idea.
You really want to do this solo, do you think? I think we should try to see if somebody comes out. Yeah, I really do.
This is why we're here. I was thinking, worst case scenario, I'll just slide down the cliff.

I can manage to hang on somewhere, but I'd take that over getting stabbed.

I bet just about anything over getting stabbed.

I think we do it, though.

Alright.

There you go.

Let's do it.

Before the crack of dawn, we cram into a rusty Jeep geared up for a three-day expedition into the unknown.

Weaving through the mountain roads, we soon park atop a concrete dam, the trailhead to Kirganga. This Indian guy who just got lost, that's his CCTV camera from there.
Right there on that, yeah. And so, we begin the hike.
For the most part, the trail is well paved, a dirt path that snakes through

lush pines and ferns, with the Parvati River flowing alongside it, full of power and fury.

Even though each step brings us higher into the mountain range,

there's many makeshift cafes along the route selling snacks, chai tea, and walking staffs. This is fucking incredible.
It's the Pepto-Bismol. Snow-capped gray mountains.
Tire valleys lit up. As planned, I pick up my pace and walk ahead of the group on the lookout for danger.
The trail is heavily trafficked by shepherds, shop owners, and Indian tourists. And at one point, I'm stopped by some hikers who asked to take a photo.
Can you take a selfie? What's that? Yeah, take a selfie. Let's do it.
Thank you for that. Absolutely.
Talking to myself, the thought is not far from my mind that not everyone has been met with the same friendliness.

But noticing now, a lot of this trail,

somebody could easily be hiding up here

and jump out and ambush you.

Unscathed, I soon reached the base of a rocky staircase.

When the team catches up, we all trudge to the top, emerging from the forest into an enormous open pasture. Welcome to Kodanga.
See the steam rising up there? Hot springs. How are you feeling, Alex? Yeah.

That's a little bit warm-y out.

Yeah.

Kierganga is like a war camp out of a medieval movie.

Smoke rises from hundreds of military-style tents.

Horses graze along tiny streams,

and the giant snow peaks cast shadows over it all.

Exploring the grounds,

we discover the hot springs at the bed of the mountain.

I ditch my shoes on icy rock and dip in for a much-needed soak.

It's then that a white-bearded man

slips silently into the water.

You've been here eight years, is that what he's saying?

A really long time student, I didn't speak to them.

It's crazy.

Kabir and I attempt to strike a conversation with him.

How you doing? Where are you from?

I feel like everybody else is, I'm assuming, is from India here.

He is also in India now.

You're in India now?

Yeah, he's in India.

Where'd you move from?

Russia.

Russia?

He closes his eyes, saying no more.

So we leave him in peace.

As the sun dips behind the rugged peaks, I feel it.

A magnetic pull, whispering to stay.

It was only five years ago that Justin was here in Kirganga, soaking in these very same waters, reflecting on a desire to heal, and fantasizing about a life of freedom. He set out from his camp to head to the mountain's peak, Montalai Lake, and wrote to the world that he would return.
When I started being like, I think my friend is dead, other people were still saying, I think he's alive. That's Justin, like he never dies.
I feel like he overestimated his capacity sometimes. It is very powerful, and Justin was going through it.
I gotta tell you, he was a showman,

and this disappearing also didn't surprise me.

No, there's not a chance. He's dead.
He's not alive.

He was making it seem like that was gonna be his last trip.

But he wouldn't have done this to his mother.

It was a team effort. It was both of them.
It was a team thing.

But haven't you ever had that thought of just,

what if I could just dart over?

What if you actually did it?

He said, yeah, you probably won't see me for like five years.

Everyone asked what happened,

and I've been struggling to make sense of it all.

Until suddenly,

it's clear.

If you have tips or information on the individuals in this podcast

that you'd like to share, please email us at statusuntraced at gmail.com or leave us a message at 507-407-2833. Status Untraced is a production of Tenderfoot TV in association with Odyssey.
I'm your host, Liam Luxon. Executive producers are Alex Vespested, Donald Albright, and Payne Lindsey.
Producers are Meredith Steadman and myself. Supervising producer is Tracy Kaplan.
Consulting producer, Jonathan Skeels. Associate editors are David Bash and Charles Rosner of GetUp Productions, with additional editing by Sydney Evans.
Artwork by Trevor Eiler.

Original music by Makeup and Vanity Set.

Our theme song is Colder Heavens by Blanco White.

Mix by Cooper Skinner.

Thank you to Oren Rosenbaum and the team at UTA,

Beck Media and Marketing, and the Nord Group.

For more podcasts like Status Untraced,

search Tenderfoot TV on your favorite podcast app

or visit us at tenderfoot.tv.

We talked about struggles with mental health

throughout this episode.

Please be mindful of your mental health

and take the time to check in with a family,

a friend, and yourself.

Thanks for listening. Hi, I'm Grace, host of Red Rum True Crime Podcast.
These cases focus on the true victims of crime. Why not jump in at episode 114, the tragic murder of Jasmine and Aaliyah.
The main suspect in this case gave an extremely bizarre interview to a number of press reporters whilst he was drunk and reportedly high. He speaks about an awful lot on camera and has this completely inappropriate laughing and chuckling response

when talking about the case. He may even have thought he was going to get away with the double murder he'd been accused of but what he didn't know was that two undercover officers were on their way to catch him out and he easily and willingly took the bait.
You can find us wherever you get your podcasts. Just search Red Rum True Crime.
That's Red Rum, murder backwards, R-E-D-R-U-M, true crime. Well, I just found out that my dad lived a secret life as a hitman for the Chicago Mafia for all these years.
It doesn't make any sense. He was a firefighter paramedic.
How the hell can he be a hitman? I need answers, so I am currently on a plane back to Chicago to interview everybody. Anybody that knows anything about this.
I'm in shock. This is absolutely insane.

I just don't understand.

I need to figure this out.

The shocking new true crime series, Crook County,

from Tenderfoot TV and iHeart Podcasts

is available now.

Binge the entire series for free on the iHeart Radio app,

Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.