Two French tourists, Brian Jacques Gilbert and Sebastian Francois Gabriel, were cycling from Paris to Kathmandu, Nepal. They flew to Delhi on January 7, 2025, and started their journey towards Kathmandu. Their planned route was through Pilibhit and Tanakpur, but on January 25, they decided to take a shortcut suggested by Google Maps.

The shortcut led them to a narrow road in Baheri, Bareilly, which wasn’t the correct route. Around 11 PM that night, they found themselves lost near the Churaili Dam, with no idea about where to go. They met some local villagers on the deserted road and asked for directions, but due to language barriers, it was hard for them to communicate.

The kind villagers took them to the local police outpost in Churaili, where the police officers quickly understood their situation. Realizing the tourists were just lost, the police then took them to the house of the village sarpanch (headman), who offered them a safe place to stay for the night.

The next morning, Senior Police Officer Anurag Arya visited them to make sure they were okay. After hearing their story, he made sure the police gave them clear directions for their journey ahead. The tourists were very thankful to the sarpanch, police, and villagers for their warm hospitality and kindness.

Gilbert and Gabriel resumed their journey to Kathmandu the following day with the proper directions. They said that despite the detour, their experience in Bareilly turned out to be a memorable one, filled with warmth and helpfulness from the locals.

In a similar incident in November 2024, three men lost their lives near Bareilly when Google Maps led them onto an under-construction bridge at night. Their car fell into the Ramganga River, resulting in their deaths. To watch more about this tragic incident, click here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-kTWWerelgQ 

Tags

• nepal
• google map
• bareilly
• kathmandu

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