Khalsa had gone on a yoga retreat.
By The American Bazaar Staff
WASHINGTON, DC: A yoga teacher from Leesburg, Virginia, Hari Simran Singh Khalsa, 25, has gone missing in Mexico, after he went off on a hike in the Tepozteco Mountains, around Tepoztlan, on Tuesday afternoon.
Singh was attending a yoga retreat with his wife, Emily Smith. They live in Leesburg and run the Raj Yoga Center, in Sterling, Virginia, reported wtop.
The last anyone heard from him was in the form of two text messages he sent to his wife on December 30. At 12:30 p.m., he sent a photo of himself on a mountain pointing down at the retreat site, and the message “Looking down on you!” About two hours later, he sent her another message, saying he had “accidentally summited another mountain” and would be later than predicted coming back. He added, “Save me some lunch if you can.”
Smith says her husband is a seasoned hiker but she’s concerned he may be hurt. His family says that police and local climbers are making an intensive search for him, but that TelCel, the Mexican wireless company that is a partner with T-Mobile, is not releasing the GPS information from his last texts, citing cellphone privacy laws, wtop reported.
His friends and family are asking the U.S. Embassy in Mexico to press the companies to release the data. They’re also asking the embassy to help the Mexican authorities with search technology and resources.
CBS had earlier reported that Singh was from Brooklyn, and had only a liter of water and some trail mix, according to Smith.
A family spokesperson told 1010 WINS’ Carol D’Auria Friday they need a helicopter to make it easier to find the missing man.
T-Mobile told CBS2: “By law, we can only work directly with law enforcement, and privacy laws prohibit us from discussing any specific actions we take. We can confirm we received contact with the FBI and are working with them.”
Search parties have been out day and night, and believe they’ve heard Hari Simran’s cries for help. But because of the treacherous terrain, they have not been able to figure out where he is, reported CBS.