Status: Untraced - E9: Father Is One

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Speaker 5 Hey, it's Payne. We have some incredible news to share.
Our latest podcast series, Wisecrack, was just named one of the best of 2025 by Apple Podcasts. It's an amazing honor.

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And thanks again to Apple for showing this show some love.

Speaker 5 Up and Vanis presents Status Untraced.

Speaker 5 Episode 9 starts now.

Speaker 2 You're listening to Status Untraced, a production of Tenderfoot TV in association with Odyssey.

Speaker 2 The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are solely those of the individuals participating in the podcast. This podcast also contains subject matter, which may not be suitable for everyone.

Speaker 2 Listener discretion is advised.

Speaker 6 We used to travel together.

Speaker 6 We used to eat together.

Speaker 6 Everything which we do in normal life,

Speaker 6 we used to do together.

Speaker 6 What happened to him, we don't know.

Speaker 4 Dharuv Agarwal was last seen heading to Kirganga on November 9th, 2021, 11 days before our arrival in India.

Speaker 4 Originally, his family wasn't interested in speaking with us. But his older brother Abhashik had a change of mind.
Did he tell you what his reason was was for going up to do the trek?

Speaker 6 There is no reason. Just traveled to Kiranga for tourists.

Speaker 4 Feeling a lack of response, Abhashik and his uncles launched their own investigation in the Parvati.

Speaker 6 The police and rescue teams, they are keeping an eye on us. Many things happened with us, which was very strange.

Speaker 6 There is something fishy on the track of Kiranga or in the Parvati Valley. Something people are afraid of.

Speaker 4 What do you think that is?

Speaker 6 I am definitely sure. My brother was kidnapped and murdered, but I can't prove it.

Speaker 4 There's more Abhashik 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.

Speaker 4 There is, however, one person for whom he openly expresses distaste.

Speaker 1 Khor Khan.

Speaker 4 Abhashik's family hired the search and rescuer to look for Dharuv and have since dropped all ties to the man.

Speaker 6 He knows everything, every area, every gap, everywhere in the Parwati Valley.

Speaker 6 But frankly saying,

Speaker 6 not a good person.

Speaker 6 Sometimes I get the feeling I'm lost.

Speaker 6 Yes, hiding it is never enough.

Speaker 6 Now I find in every mirror of gold.

Speaker 6 Oh, there once I saw the killer.

Speaker 6 Once I saw the killer of clothes.

Speaker 4 I'm Liam Luxon, and this is Status Untraced.

Speaker 4 Episode 9:

Speaker 4 Father is One.

Speaker 7 So, if everybody quiet to ourselves,

Speaker 7 everybody, please.

Speaker 4 Decked out in military boots and a full camo jumpsuit, Corkan commands an imposing presence. He controls the room.
The one filled with six other guys, I wasn't expecting to be here.

Speaker 7 Sorry for that, but I'm saying to show everybody will size

Speaker 7 because she has to come from America to here.

Speaker 7 We don't know each other, but they came here and they want to know about Justin.

Speaker 4 A lot has been said about the man before me.

Speaker 4 I'm here to find out if the murderous accusations against him hold any validity.

Speaker 4 But first,

Speaker 4 I just want to know some basics.

Speaker 4 Who is Corkhan, really?

Speaker 10 How did you get into search and rescue?

Speaker 4 Born to a low-class family in the Parvati Valley, Corkhan explains that he began working as a porter in Malana, the ancient village known for producing the world's best hashish,

Speaker 4 and to be associated with mafias.

Speaker 4 Through various gigs, he eventually launched his business in the late 90s, which, as he boastfully claims, was the first search and rescue service of its kind.

Speaker 7 More than 600 boys I have a trend, and everywhere I make one call, they come. And mostly

Speaker 3 this is

Speaker 7 actually teamwork. So we are the first.
We can say the father is one. Understand?

Speaker 13 Sure, yeah. Father is one.

Speaker 7 If they stay with father, good. If they go put here and there from father, so it's up to them.

Speaker 4 Kor Khan essentially just claimed there's a search and rescue hierarchy. And he's at the top.
Father is one.

Speaker 4 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?

Speaker 4 In trying to get to the bottom of it, I dig into his process.

Speaker 11 How many cases have you done that you remember?

Speaker 12 Over 100. Over 100.

Speaker 10 And how many of those cases have you been able to find people alive?

Speaker 7 Almost mostly alive.

Speaker 7 But if we don't find like two, three days, it's very difficult to find Alji Kiriganga. When you go to Kiriganga, you will see.

Speaker 7 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.

Speaker 7 So we can look one week, but more than one week, even family say, but we cannot do because we know that we don't find.

Speaker 4 I'll repeat his words. because it's alarming.

Speaker 4 We can search for one to three days maximum, I think.

Speaker 4 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 stay, but we cannot do because we know that we don't find.

Speaker 4 How many families, clinging to hope, have been met with this bleak pragmatism?

Speaker 4 I ask if this has been his approach with the Ruva Agarwal, the most recent case for which he offered his services.

Speaker 7 Ruv Bhagarbal, this guy was missing from the 9th of November. But I got information in the 12th means

Speaker 14 there is no anymore.

Speaker 7 Sorry to say this.

Speaker 7 And still,

Speaker 7 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.

Speaker 7 But if they are not giving me the right information, how can I I find him?

Speaker 4 Kor Khan claims he initiated search efforts, but that his work went unpaid.

Speaker 7 If they really love their

Speaker 7 brother Dhuba Garbal, why they don't pay the money?

Speaker 7 If they can't pay, tell us they can't pay.

Speaker 4 I asked Abhashik if that was true. Did he charge you for searching for him?

Speaker 6 He did not give any bill. Whatever he took from us, he took in cash.
So we gave him what he demand

Speaker 4 I bring this up to Corkan and he corrects himself saying he did receive 500 rupees which is around six US dollars

Speaker 10 so what do you what do you think happened to him

Speaker 4 as far as specifics go what do you think happened to Durup was he robbed or was he for that i tell you look i don't know

Speaker 7 i can't say anything Sorry.

Speaker 7 For me, he's the crazy person.

Speaker 4 Labeling a missing soul as crazy is pretty cold.

Speaker 4 I don't know if Corkan's this open with his clients, but if so, it's no wonder Daruv's family, juggling exhaustion and misery, accused him of trading hope for profit.

Speaker 4 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,

Speaker 4 Bruno Muschaliks.

Speaker 10 So this is what Pieter told me.

Speaker 15 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?

Speaker 7 If you don't mind if I say

Speaker 7 please. You are first time here, yeah? Yeah.

Speaker 7 If you come here, you must know where to go, where to stay, to whom you trust

Speaker 7 and whom you are talking.

Speaker 7 If someone is

Speaker 7 calling you this and that, if you know personally, you can say something. Sure.
You don't know personally.

Speaker 7 But it's my life. My life, I make my rules.
I don't fucking care about the people.

Speaker 7 They think he's a good person, no good person, this, that, why? It's my life. I'm enjoying my life.
That's most important, no? It's not their problem problem because they are just jealous.

Speaker 7 And shortcut thing I told you, father is one.

Speaker 1 I guess

Speaker 10 I hear what you're saying.

Speaker 15 But from what I'm hearing from Beethoven, he thinks that you are just charging him but not doing anything.

Speaker 4 I'd like to understand why some people think that.

Speaker 7 Mission is with me.

Speaker 7 I'm handling it. But after they try to competition, they try to take this mission to you and him or him and him.

Speaker 15 So essentially your response to you weren't doing anything was that you were,

Speaker 11 but then they contacted other people and you weren't able to complete your job.

Speaker 7 No, no, that's what I'm saying.

Speaker 4 I don't know if I just gave Corcan an out,

Speaker 4 but honestly, I don't think it matters.

Speaker 4 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.

Speaker 4 And if that's his modus operandi, it doesn't sound like he's fully transparent about it.

Speaker 4 I mentioned this three-day bit to Piotr Mushalik and his friend Tomas and asked when they hired Corkhan if it was ever explained to them.

Speaker 4 Did he

Speaker 4 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?

Speaker 7 No, definitely no.

Speaker 4 Corkhan could be telling me the truth, or this could all be a politician's act.

Speaker 4 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.

Speaker 4 I'm trying to gather as much of a baseline of who Corkan is because I need some idea of how he'll react when I ask if his team is murdering people.

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Speaker 7 Because if the police are directly helping to me, I'm here. I'm not a government applies.
I'm a private worker. But I know that how to investigate.

Speaker 4 I watch Corkhan as he pours himself a scotch. It's not his first, and it's becoming harder to understand him.

Speaker 1 Okay.

Speaker 7 Justin's story. You want to know, you want some

Speaker 1 deep clue? Yeah, absolutely.

Speaker 7 How to talk to people because I'm a local person. I'm not going to have a big talker.

Speaker 4 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.

Speaker 4 But questioning him in the state doesn't feel right.

Speaker 7 If I'm going to talk to

Speaker 4 Reluctantly, I choose to step away.

Speaker 4 And later, when he's sober, I call him, launching straight into the questions that demand answers.

Speaker 18 First and foremost, do you have technical training in mountain rescue?

Speaker 7 Yes, sir. I do checking and I tell the guys for the mountains.

Speaker 18 Has there been a time when somebody else performed the physical rescue and you took credit for it?

Speaker 7 I cannot say this. Okay.

Speaker 18 You've never done that.

Speaker 7 But may I tell you that, okay, if myself is there on the mission, I'm not saying that, okay, I'm every mission I'm there.

Speaker 7 So I don't take any credit. If somebody say I take the credit, it's not like that.
They will be jealous or they

Speaker 7 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.

Speaker 7 I told you, sir, always the father is always in the problem because if they have more children, he is in the problem.

Speaker 7 So I'm the main father. Father is one.
That's why this trouble is coming.

Speaker 4 Giving Corkhan the benefit of the doubt.

Speaker 4 I pose if these rumors could stem from his old prodigies, people who'd benefit to smear him no sir no sir nobody is stealing my business i'm not saying that but this this

Speaker 7 rescue is honest working and we need to trust and believe each other

Speaker 18 out of all these people that you've trained all of these students have you ever had an issue with a student

Speaker 7 uh no some some of these boys they work just one or two days with me so i don't even give them certified certificates what what happened on those on those times they just didn't follow your rules or what what was it

Speaker 7 I tell you, I have not taken even one rupee from the administration.

Speaker 4 When Corkan is referring to the administration, that's the local government body who sometimes assigns cases to rescue teams.

Speaker 7 I'm not taking money from administration. And these boys, how much money they have taken from administration? And how much money they have to...

Speaker 4 Sorry, who are

Speaker 1 these boys?

Speaker 7 I think I don't know whoever, but I'm seeing on the Facebook, sometimes some boys blaming that administration not giving bill, we are not getting money and this and that.

Speaker 7 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.

Speaker 7 Focus on your work. Don't focus on.

Speaker 18 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.

Speaker 18 Has there ever been an instance when you found a body and you haven't reported it?

Speaker 7 No, no possible. Because all bits police is with me.
Albeit's army is with me.

Speaker 7 I'm saying to you, I'm not alone. You tell them it's not working alone.
Why you blame?

Speaker 7 Blame to the administration. Blame to the I officer.
Why to blame to me?

Speaker 4 With every question I ask, it just sounds like Corcan is flailing.

Speaker 4 Truly, I appreciate that he's talking with me and that it actually sounds like he's being open.

Speaker 4 But I'm a little confused by his words

Speaker 4 because I would understand if it's his intent to actually help people.

Speaker 4 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.

Speaker 4 But when I explained to Corcan 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.

Speaker 4 What does he do?

Speaker 4 He points blame at the innocent.

Speaker 7 These are the family they probably are not satisfied in their self and they are fighting in between themselves.

Speaker 7 Sir, I am not a god. Sir, sir, I am not a god that, okay, I know where is the body and I go and get it.
Okay, they are the people they are coming to me saying to me that how much money you want.

Speaker 7 This is not a money story.

Speaker 7 I don't understand these families. They are crazy people.
I tell you, you better to discuss about this kind of thing with the LGBT station.

Speaker 4 Corkan'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.

Speaker 4 This is search and rescue. Your clients are families of missing persons.

Speaker 4 It's obvious that in order to do this job responsibly, it requires patience and compassion.

Speaker 4 And I think he knows that.

Speaker 4 But when I ask him to further explain his brazen statements, he gets annoyed.

Speaker 7 Sir, I'm not going to them. They are coming back again and again to me.
Their family member is requesting to me. Mother is calling to me.
Sister is calling to me.

Speaker 7 Their relative, whoever is not calling to me, their uncle is calling me, me requesting me and crying on the phone what can i do

Speaker 4 all right listen i have one last rumor that i need to ask you about no problem um 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 what do you have to say about that

Speaker 7 I don't know if it's possible.

Speaker 7 Just send me the name of these guys, whoever this so I can, or tell them to call to me, and they will record the calling and send to you what is the problem, what they want from me.

Speaker 7 I tell you, if someone asks for help, I'm the person. I'm not looking for a dead body, and this is not my job to look for the dead body.
My work is to save lives, sir.

Speaker 7 Sir, I don't care others. I know myself.

Speaker 17 That's enough.

Speaker 4 Corkhan ends the conversation conversation that day, but we'll continue to have talks.

Speaker 11 You're saying you can look for one to three days maximum, specifically going back to DeRuve.

Speaker 10 Then he went missing like on the 9th, and the family approached you on the 12th. You know, that's a three-day difference already.

Speaker 11 Did you tell them that because of your experience that you no longer felt he was alive?

Speaker 7 I can't say anything about that. Most important thing, they go alone, which is not good.
Anything can happen to a lone person.

Speaker 10 Yeah.

Speaker 10 Have you ever told like a family that you believe it's impossible to find someone?

Speaker 7 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.

Speaker 12 Yeah.

Speaker 7 It's not easy because it's a track and after that's a for.

Speaker 4 I do actually think he means well.

Speaker 4 He's proud of his career.

Speaker 4 And what I come to believe is that he's not a murderer. He's a poor communicator.

Speaker 10 The thing I'm kind of coming back to is that initial thing that you told me.

Speaker 11 So you do look longer than three days sometimes?

Speaker 7 Yes, sir. Yes, sir.

Speaker 12 I do.

Speaker 11 But you don't really think that you're probably going to find anything after three days.

Speaker 7 It's difficult, but possible to find any belongings or something. But after that, the families also are not satisfied.
They say, no, they are here. They are alive.

Speaker 6 Yeah.

Speaker 7 so it's very difficult

Speaker 4 i don't have evidence that he's guilty of fraud but his whole ideology of father is one and to imply that other teams successes are also his success i think it's just a sign of narcissism so essentially you you kind of see yourself as like a father figure like the leader

Speaker 7 Of course, I'm the... That's what I'm saying.
That if I test someone, someone tests me, then we can work together.

Speaker 4 What I am certain of, based on his own words, is that he's a man of self-interest. Business first, people second.

Speaker 10 When I asked you about the rumors about you, you thought it could be the families that were saying these malicious things.

Speaker 11 And then you said that you thought that they were crazy.

Speaker 10 I just wanted to be clear: do you think that they're crazy?

Speaker 7 No, I'm not saying they are crazy, but you know, sir, it's too much stress, this kind of work.

Speaker 7 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.

Speaker 7 So I follow them. But I cannot tell them it's difficult to find now.

Speaker 7 They can easily understand that if we don't find one day, two days, three days, one week, two weeks, what we look for.

Speaker 4 I get it. This job is tough.

Speaker 4 Especially in a remote valley in the middle of the Himalayas. He has a valid point there.

Speaker 4 But still, it doesn't minimize the sorrow felt by Bruno's and Daruve's family. They deserve answers.

Speaker 10 Well, thank you. I appreciate you.

Speaker 7 Thank you, sir. And when you're coming next time, India, come.
Most welcome.

Speaker 4 Given what we've learned, I think Justin Alexander's search party made the right choice in refusing Corkon's services.

Speaker 4 He's not our culprit. He's not a lead.

Speaker 4 He's just a guy in the rescue business who sounds like he's checked out.

Speaker 4 But clearing this thread puts us back on Justin's case with little progress.

Speaker 4 There are still the identities of two suspicious figures, the couple who descended the mountain with Justin moments before he disappeared, that remain unknown.

Speaker 4 It's time to find out who they are.

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Speaker 9 We better get down so that there's less weight on the car.

Speaker 4 Pulling on to a farm property, a young Indian man timidly greets us.

Speaker 15 How's it going?

Speaker 14 Liam, nice to meet you.

Speaker 10 Yeah, absolutely.

Speaker 4 He motions for us to sit on log benches around a crackling fire.

Speaker 20 After this case,

Speaker 22 some time.

Speaker 4 Hemraj Rajput speaks softly. His eyes lost in the flames.

Speaker 4 Not long ago, he accepted my Facebook friend request and agreed to meet.

Speaker 4 While he says Justin's case haunts him, he's open to answering some questions.

Speaker 4 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.

Speaker 4 We were told the guy was Normal Patel.

Speaker 4 Except Normal Patel has maintained a different story,

Speaker 4 insisting he crossed paths with Justin on the mountain.

Speaker 4 So, which is true?

Speaker 4 There's evidence that Nermal did hike with the group to Montlai that year. So, was this the group who passed Justin?

Speaker 4 The other hikers in the photo are the only ones who would know,

Speaker 4 and Hemraj is one of them.

Speaker 22 They were on the way towards Spiti in September.

Speaker 10 Sometime in September? Yeah.

Speaker 19 And who all was with him?

Speaker 22 Five people from Poland,

Speaker 22 two from Gujarat.

Speaker 23 How long were you guys in Kurganga before the hike?

Speaker 22 One night.

Speaker 11 One night.

Speaker 4 Arshdeep continues to speak with Hemraj in Hindi and asks if he ever met Justin.

Speaker 22 He speaks that the only conversation that they had with Justin was when they crossed to each other.

Speaker 4 Our first confirmation. This hiking group did cross pass with Justin.

Speaker 11 How long was the interaction?

Speaker 22 20 to 30 minutes that he says.

Speaker 23 They never met Justin before they left?

Speaker 21 Never.

Speaker 19 Okay, so but Justin didn't go with him further towards Spitty.

Speaker 10 Yeah, he left on his own.

Speaker 4 Before they departed, Hamraj says they took the photos with Justin.

Speaker 22 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.

Speaker 22 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.

Speaker 21 Nirmal went with you.

Speaker 23 Sorry. Nirmal went with you.

Speaker 22 Nirmal Lakis Adgya Tana.

Speaker 21 Yes.

Speaker 4 Our second confirmation. Nirmal Patel was telling the truth.

Speaker 19 Did Nirmal ever separate from the group just to go take photos for a little while or anything that day?

Speaker 22 It's not feasible to stop for these two guys and then the whole group is waiting, so that's they have to be in the group all the time.

Speaker 19 Was there anybody else that you passed along the trek around that time that you thought was

Speaker 10 justin kills?

Speaker 21 Any couple? No,

Speaker 20 only Justin.

Speaker 4 I believe Hemraj.

Speaker 4 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.

Speaker 4 But his insight also solidifies a gap in the case. The couple remains a mystery, and disproving the Normal claim raises questions about the entire story's credibility.

Speaker 4 Does this couple exist at all?

Speaker 4 All we've been told is that it's a guy and a girl who were in Kirganga for a month, interacted with Justin, and were never seen again.

Speaker 4 Our search now points us to the path unexplored, the trail to Kirganga and Montalai Lake.

Speaker 4 And just as we set our sights on it, news leaks from the local police station.

Speaker 1 A couple on the track to Kirganga, four unknown guys, they tried to rob them.

Speaker 9 They took 7,000 rupees for them. They hold it up a knife.

Speaker 4 Police have just learned of a knife point robbery that took place earlier this month.

Speaker 4 The victims did not immediately report the incident, but it's said to have occurred mere days before Dhruv Agarwal disappeared.

Speaker 12 There's a rumor that this couple was robbed for 6,000 rupees at knife point.

Speaker 1 Yeah,

Speaker 12 by four guys.

Speaker 14 By four guys on the way to Kyrgyz.

Speaker 15 If we're doing this Kyrganga trek,

Speaker 14 would it be beneficial to have Alex and me walk slightly ahead of you guys? See if we can catch these guys.

Speaker 13 I think we should bait them.

Speaker 9 What do you think? Yeah, I don't want to get stabbed.

Speaker 12 Yeah, I don't want to get stabbed either, but...

Speaker 13 And I think we have to do this.

Speaker 4 Being among the few Americans here, we already draw attention.

Speaker 4 So to appear like lone hikers and bait some thieves, it's not that it would be easy, it would be stupidly dangerous.

Speaker 12 Were there any reports of what these four guys looked like?

Speaker 8 Not unless they don't make a nap fire, it's not, it won't be clear.

Speaker 24 Got it.

Speaker 14 I feel like we have to do this. I don't feel like we have to do it at all.

Speaker 1 Dhruv is also missing it.

Speaker 13 So we have it.

Speaker 11 I'm saying that.

Speaker 1 Like, yeah.

Speaker 8 The same thing might have happened with Dhruv.

Speaker 4 So you're putting yourself in a position to just get stabbed and thrown off a cliff.

Speaker 13 It's not a smart move. We just have to stall him.

Speaker 6 I don't think there is any stalling.

Speaker 14 Let's, uh, I mean, let's figure out a way for this to be safe, but I think that that's that's what we should do.

Speaker 13 I think we should bait him

Speaker 4 back at the hotel. I continue to push the idea.
You really want to do this solo? What do you think?

Speaker 13 I think we should try to see if somebody comes out.

Speaker 9 I really do.

Speaker 1 I think this is why we're here.

Speaker 11 I was thinking, worst case scenario, I'll just slide down the cliff.

Speaker 13 I can manage to hang on somewhere, but like I take that over getting stabbed.

Speaker 13 I thought just about anything over getting stabbed.

Speaker 10 I think we do it, though. Alright.

Speaker 10 There you go.

Speaker 1 Let's do it.

Speaker 4 Before the crack of dawn, we cram into a rusty Jeep, geared up for a three-day expedition into the unknown.

Speaker 4 Weaving through the mountain roads, we soon park atop a concrete dam.

Speaker 4 The trailhead to Kirganga.

Speaker 7 This Indian guy who just got lost, that's his CCTV camera from the camera.

Speaker 12 Right there on that, yeah.

Speaker 4 And so, we begin the hike.

Speaker 4 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.

Speaker 4 Even though each step brings us higher into the mountain range, there's many makeshift cafes along route selling snacks, chai tea, and walking staffs.

Speaker 1 What's that?

Speaker 14 Yeah, take a selfie.

Speaker 1 Let's do it. Thank you.

Speaker 1 Absolutely.

Speaker 4 Talking to myself, the thought is not far from my mind that not everyone has been met with the same friendliness.

Speaker 10 I've been noticing now,

Speaker 10 light of this trail.

Speaker 16 Somebody could easily be hiding up here and jump out and ambush you.

Speaker 4 Unscathed, I soon reach the base of a rocky staircase.

Speaker 4 When the team catches up, we all trudge to the top,

Speaker 4 emerging from the forest into an enormous open pasture.

Speaker 8 Welcome to Kirganga.

Speaker 15 See the steam rising up there?

Speaker 12 Hot springs.

Speaker 1 Yeah.

Speaker 4 Kirganga 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.

Speaker 4 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.

Speaker 4 It's then that a white-bearded man slips silently into the water.

Speaker 13 We've been here eight years now, Lisa.

Speaker 7 Very long time student and I've been speaking.

Speaker 4 It's crazy. Kabir and I attempt to strike a conversation with him.

Speaker 10 How you doing?

Speaker 16 Where are you from? I feel like everybody else is, I'm assuming, is from India here.

Speaker 13 He is also in India now.

Speaker 15 You're in India now?

Speaker 16 Yeah, you see him in many. Where'd you move from?

Speaker 1 Russia. Russia?

Speaker 4 He closes his eyes, saying no more.

Speaker 4 So we leave him in peace.

Speaker 4 As the sun dips behind the rugged peaks, I feel it.

Speaker 4 A magnetic pull, whispering to stay.

Speaker 4 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.

Speaker 4 He set out from this camp to head to the mountain's peak, Mantalai Lake.

Speaker 4 and wrote to the world that he would return.

Speaker 25 When I started being like, I think my friend is dead, other people were still saying, I think he's live.

Speaker 4 That's Justin. Like, he never dies.
I feel like he overestimated his capacity sometimes.

Speaker 2 India's very powerful, and Justin was going through it.

Speaker 24 I gotta tell you, he was a showman, and this disappearing also didn't surprise me.

Speaker 1 No, there's not a chance.

Speaker 24 He's dead.

Speaker 2 He's not alive.

Speaker 18 He was making it seem like that was going to be his last trip.

Speaker 13 But he wouldn't have done this to his mother.

Speaker 24 It was a team effort. It was both of them.
It was a team thing.

Speaker 10 But haven't you ever had that thought of just, what if I could just dart over?

Speaker 24 What if you actually did it?

Speaker 4 He said, yeah, you probably won't see me for like five years.

Speaker 4 Everyone asked what happened, and I've been struggling to make sense of it all.

Speaker 4 Until suddenly, it's clear.

Speaker 4 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.

Speaker 4 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 Lindsay.

Speaker 4 Producers are Meredith Stedman and myself. Supervising producer is Tracy Kaplan.
Consulting producer, Jonathan Skeels.

Speaker 4 Associate editors are David Bash and Charles Rosner of GetUp Productions. with additional editing by Sidney Evans.

Speaker 12 Artwork by Trevor Eiler.

Speaker 4 Original music by Makeup and Vanity Set. Our theme song is Colder Heavens by Blanco White.

Speaker 18 NYX by Cooper Skinner.

Speaker 4 Thank you to Oren Rosenbaum and the team at UTA, Beck Media and Marketing, and the Nord Group.

Speaker 4 For more podcasts like Status Untraced, search Tenderfoot TV on your favorite podcast app or visit us at tenderfoot.tv.

Speaker 4 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.

Speaker 4 Thanks for listening.

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Speaker 4 Every story has layers, and sometimes the truth hides in plain sight. I'm Josh Dean, host of Chameleon, the podcast about people who transform, deceive, and survive.

Speaker 4 From con artists to unbelievable yet true occurrences, we dive into stories where nothing is ever quite as it seems. Because to understand the world, you sometimes have to change the way you see it.

Speaker 3 Listen to Chameleon wherever you get your podcasts.