Daijiworld Media Network - Moodbidri (SP)

Moodbidri, Dec 11: Relating to the sudden disappearance of Priyanka from Dharegudde near here, whose marriage was to be held on Monday December 11, on the intervening night between Friday and Saturday, Dakshina Kannada district BJP vice president, K P Jagadish Adhikari, suspected that Love Jihad might have worked behind the scenes.

Adhikari, who also belongs to Dharegudde village, said that the girl in question appeared to be innocent and that the way in which she suddenly went missing at a time when all arrangements had been made for her marriage, gives rise to doubt about the ISIS operatives working even at village level. He therefore, has sought detailed probe into all the circumstances leading to the girl's disappearance.

It is not yet known whether Priyanka was kidnapped or she was a part of the plan to run away from marriage plans. She went missing late night on Friday after Mehndi function, when other family members were deep asleep. In general, it is believed that she would have eloped with a man belonging to another religion.

Priyanka is the daughter of the late Aithappa Bhandary from Dharegudde village. Her elder sister is married. She lived with her mother at Dharegudde, and he brother works in Mumbai. Before shifting base here, her family was living at Farangipet, and it is said that she had become close to a youth from Innoli, who belonged to another religion, when living there. The family members, it is said, succeeded in severing this relationship. Recently her marriage was fixed with a boy from Shirur, who is employed in a foreign country. The two families were in contact with each other since the last some years, and engagement ceremony had taken place recently.

Some reports say that on Friday night, Priyanka had served some juice to all her family members, and all of them had remarked about the bitter tinge it had, after having it. Some also questioned her about the taste of the juice but did not press for an answer, it is learnt. As some did not drink the juice entirely because of its taste, juice samples are available at her home, and tests are to be conducted whether it contained intoxicants which made the family members to slip into deep sleep.

There is information that she has a bank account, unknown to her family members, in which someone used to deposit money frequently but anonymously. Who was this depositor and what happened to the balance in that account, are yet to be probed. Priyanka fled with about ten sovereigns of gold ornaments her family had procured for her marriage.

It is said that the police are now trying to locate the whereabouts of the youth from Innoli who was close to Priyanka in the past, as there is suspicion of his involvement in this disappearance.