Five-Month Ordeal Ends as Missing Girl Returns Home
In a remarkable conclusion to a five-month-long search, a 20-year-old girl from Rourkela who had been missing since June was successfully traced to Mathura in Uttar Pradesh and reunited with her family after completing all legal formalities. The breakthrough came following intensive police efforts and monitoring by the Orissa High Court.
The Disappearance and Investigation
The young woman left her home on June 9 after informing her mother she was going out for some work. She deliberately left her mobile phone behind, raising immediate concerns when she failed to return by evening. Her elder sister promptly filed a missing person's report at Sector-15 police station in Rourkela.
As initial search efforts proved fruitless, police escalated their investigation by pasting the girl's posters across various locations in Rourkela. The case was also uploaded to the national portal for missing persons, and authorities examined CCTV footage from multiple locations in their search for clues.
By September, the investigation had expanded significantly with six police teams formed to visit different places where the missing girl might have gone. Despite these extensive efforts, authorities remained unable to find any substantial clues about her whereabouts.
The Mathura Connection and Breakthrough
In October, police received a lead suggesting the girl might be in Mathura. A special team spent approximately 12 days searching for her in the Uttar Pradesh city but returned empty-handed.
The crucial breakthrough occurred when the Rourkela SP's office received a letter from the girl sent via speed post from Mathura. Armed with specific information that she would board a train in Mathura on November 4, a police team immediately traveled to the location and successfully rescued her.
During questioning, the girl revealed that she had traveled to Mathura of her own volition after becoming a follower of a spiritual seer. Official reports later confirmed she had been staying in an ashram in Mathura during her disappearance.
Court Intervention and Case Resolution
The Orissa High Court had been closely monitoring the investigation since the matter first came up on July 10. The court had been receiving periodic updates through additional government advocate Debasish Tripathy.
The girl's elder sister had filed a habeas corpus petition expressing fears that her sister might have been abducted, illegally detained, or even murdered. However, on Thursday, a division bench comprising Chief Justice Harish Tandon and Justice M S Raman disposed of the petition after the girl's safe return.
The court particularly appreciated the "steps and/or efforts taken by the police administration in tracing out the missing girl and retrieving her from a far-flung place." Recording the petitioner's statement that she was "not inclined to proceed further in the matter as the girl has come back home," the bench officially closed the case.
The court directed the family to provide "all assistance and medical attention as required" and asked police to extend cooperation, emphasizing that "welfare of the girl appears to be a paramount consideration."
