‘No preliminary training given to participants’

The city police have been checking the antecedents of the founder of the Chennai Trekking Club (CTC) Peter Van Geit, a Beligian national settled in India.

The club’s office premises is now closed and its website does not provide details of those managing its affairs. Nor does it provide contact details. The CTC is registered as a not-for-profit organisation and claims 1,000 members.

A senior police officer said: “We are looking for the organiser who is not available in the specified address. We are also enquiring about his antecedents.”

According to the police, the CTC was established by Mr. Peter in 2008 and has been functioning from the house in Palavakkam which stood in the name of Bethel Kumar. Mr. Peter, after quitting his job here in the city, has been actively organising adventure sports activities such as trekking. The police said that a preliminary investigation revealed that the club functioned through Facebook, inviting customers to participate in the weekly trekking trips. Each trip costs around ₹4,000 per head. The ill-fated trekking expedition was advertised as a special offer to coincide with Women’s Day celebrations.

Although the club had said that it would organise preparatory sessions before the trip, no training was given to the participants, an officer said.