Yogesh K Porwar
Two college-going girls who went missing from Vidyaranyapura in Bengaluru on January 31 have been traced by the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) after nearly eight months.
The investigators are now preparing to produce the two—Tanishka and Tejaswini—before the Karnataka High Court on Wednesday.
Tanishka was pursuing II PUC,while Tejaswini was studying in I PUC when they went missing.
A missing-person case was initially registered at the Vidyaranyapura police station.
Family approached High Court:
With no breakthrough in tracing the girls,Tanishka’s family approached the High Court,seeking directions for their recovery and monitoring of the investigation.After around five to six months,the case was transferred to the CID.
Following the court’s directions,CID officials took up the investigation and had been searching for the girls for nearly three months.
Clue from Male Mahadeshwara Hills:
During the investigation,the CID received information that the two girls had visited Male Mahadeshwara Hills. Investigators learnt that the girls had been seen playing with a child there,and the child’s mother had taken a selfie with them.
The photograph and other information were used as leads in the investigation.
However,investigators could not immediately establish the girls’ whereabouts.
Tanishka’s Aadhaar use leads CID to the girls
The breakthrough came when Tanishka attempted to purchase a new SIM card using her Aadhaar details.
The service provider’s verification process generated information that reached the CID.
Based on the lead,CID officials tracked down the location and eventually traced both girls.
Tanishka married youth,was living with Tejaswini
According to the investigation,Tanishka had met a young man from Kanakapura taluk while she was at Male Mahadeshwara Hills.
During inquiries with the youth’s family,Tanishka reportedly claimed that she and Tejaswini were sisters and that they had no parents or other family members.
The two subsequently left with the youth,investigators found.
Tanishka later married the youth and began living with him. She introduced Tejaswini as her younger sister and kept her with them,according to the CID investigation.
The investigation has also revealed that Tanishka is currently pregnant.
The tracing of the two girls after nearly eight months marks a significant development in the case. The CID is now probing where exactly the girls stayed during the intervening period and the circumstances surrounding their disappearance from Vidyaranyapura.
