Indian student goes missing after solo winter trip to Alaska: What we know so far

The search is on for Karasani Hari Krishna Reddy, a student hailing from Andhra Pradesh's Guntur region, who went missing after embarking on a solo winter trip to Alaska about a month ago.

The 24-year-old, who is studying in Houston, Texas, reportedly began his solo trip on December 22, during the Christmas holidays in the US. 

According to a Times of India report, his last contact with his friends and family was on December 30. His phone was switched off from December 31, which was the day his phone signal was last traced.

The report also cites his friends, who claimed he had told them that he would be staying in the Denali region of Alaska, and that he planned to return from the trip by January 3-4.

A Telugu media report even claimed that he had checked out of his hotel in Denali on December 31, but THE WEEK could not independently verify those details.

It is not yet clear why Reddy travelled to Alaska, known to turn frigid in the December-January period, with temperatures sinking down to about -40°C. Many regions in the state also face prolonged darkness during this period. 

Reddy's prolonged disappearance has left his friends and relatives worried, as Alaskan winters can be quite beautiful, but also quite unforgiving—often leading to hundreds of people going missing every year.

They informed the Alaska State Troopers (the local police), contacted the Andhra Pradesh Non Resident Telugu (APNRT) Society for help, and had even posted about his disappearance on social media, but to no avail so far.

One major detail in the Alaskan police investigation concerns Reddy's use of a credit card to book local transport on December 31.

The police probe is currently looking into details of the cab he ordered, for further clues about where he might have gone. It is initially speculated that he went to the Fairbanks region.

The APNRT Society, meanwhile, has contacted local representatives to help in the search attempt.