Daijiworld Media Network - Bengaluru
Bengaluru, Sep 9: An eight-month search for two college students who went missing from Bengaluru’s Vidyaranyapura has finally ended, with the CID tracing both women and taking them into custody.
The missing students — first PU student Tejaswini and second PU student Tanishka — have been traced safely by the CID (Criminal Investigation Department).
The CID took over the investigation following the directions of the High Court and successfully traced the two young women after an intensive operation.
The students had gone missing on January 31 after telling their families that they were heading to college. A missing persons case was registered at the Vidyaranyapura police station. Although the local police launched a search, they initially found no significant leads. Tanishka’s family later approached the High Court. Taking note of the seriousness of the case, the court transferred the investigation to the CID.
The initial probe by the local police revealed that the two had travelled to Male Mahadeshwara Betta. While playing with a child there, the child’s mother had clicked a selfie with them. No further clues emerged after that. However, while at the hill shrine, the students reportedly came in contact with a young man from Kanakapura.
Fearing pressure from her family, Tanishka allegedly told the man, "We are sisters, we have neither a father nor a mother, and we are orphans." Believing their account, the man took both women with him.
Marriage, SIM card and the CID trail
The man later married Tanishka and kept Tejaswini at his home, introducing her as his sister. The breakthrough came recently when Tanishka used her original Aadhaar card to purchase a new SIM card.
CID officials had already been keeping the Aadhaar number under surveillance. As soon as the details were used for the new SIM, the information was relayed to the investigators through the telecom service provider.
The CID team then followed the Aadhaar details and network location, traced the place where the two women were staying and took them into custody.
Tanishka is currently pregnant. The CID police are scheduled to produce both women before the high court.