An unexpected digital breakthrough has helped police track down an 18-year-old college student from Bengaluru who had been missing for approximately seven months. Rather than relying on traditional methods like mobile phone locations or call detail records, investigators traced her through a one-time password (OTP) generated during a government welfare registration. The Crime Investigation Department (CID) of Karnataka successfully located the girl using this unique clue. However, the mystery remains only partially solved, as her minor friend, who had left home along with her on January 31, is still missing, prompting an intense search by the investigative agency.
The Disappearance from Vidyaranyapura on January 31
The case began in the Vidyaranyapura locality of Bengaluru. Tanishka, an 18-year-old student pursuing her second-year Pre-University Course (PUC), left her residence on the morning of January 31 accompanied by her minor friend. Both teenagers told their respective family members that they were heading to college as part of their daily routine. However, when neither of them returned home by evening, their families grew deeply concerned. After searching local areas and contacting acquaintances yielded no results, the parents approached the local police, and a missing persons case was officially registered at the Vidyaranyapura police station.
During the initial stages of the inquiry, the police discovered that the girls had planned their departure with considerable deliberation. To prevent law enforcement from tracking them through standard digital footprints, they purposely left their mobile phones and ATM cards at home. They only carried their college backpacks and their Aadhaar cards. The complete lack of electronic communication devices and credit or debit cards created an immediate roadblock for the local police, making it impossible to pin down their geographic coordinates through tower location data.
Initial Lead, Failed Searches, and High Court Intervention
A few days after going missing, the girls made a brief phone call to some of their mutual friends. During this short conversation, they mentioned that they had reached the Male Mahadeshwara Hills, located in the Chamarajanagar district, and were safe. They assured their friends that they would get in touch again in about a week. However, no further calls were received, causing anxiety to mount for both the families and the police. In response, the Bengaluru police established a dedicated 10-member team to track the girls down.
This specialized police squad conducted extensive search operations across more than 100 locations spanning multiple districts and neighbouring areas. Despite these massive efforts, no concrete leads were found, and the trail went cold. Recognizing the lack of progress after several months, the distraught families filed a petition before the Karnataka High Court, seeking a more rigorous investigation to locate their daughters.
CID Takes Charge and Uncovers a Suicide Pact
In April, the Karnataka High Court formally transferred the investigation of the missing girls to the CID. CID officers began reconstructing the timeline from the day the girls left Vidyaranyapura. By tracing their movements through transit points, the investigators discovered that the girls had traveled first to Mysuru, then to a local temple in Chamarajanagar, before finally making their way up to the Male Mahadeshwara Hills.
A senior CID official revealed a distressing detail regarding their motivations. Both girls had traveled to the hills with the mutual intention of ending their lives due to immense academic and domestic pressure. However, while they were on the hills, they were spotted by two young men who intervened. These men managed to persuade the girls against taking such a drastic step. Following this encounter, the two girls parted ways, each choosing to go with one of the young men to start a new life.
A New Household in Kanakapura and Avoiding Technical Surveillance
Tanishka went with one of the youths, whose family ultimately accepted their relationship. The couple subsequently married in a temple ceremony and began living together in a rural village situated within the Kanakapura taluk. Because Tanishka did not possess a mobile phone or a personal SIM card, she remained entirely invisible to the cyber-surveillance systems typically utilized by the police. For months, authorities had no indication of her location or her marital status.
Finding someone without any active digital footprint is a major challenge for modern law enforcement. However, CID investigators focused on the fact that Tanishka had taken her physical Aadhaar card with her. They began monitoring government databases where Aadhaar verification might be required. Their patience paid off when they discovered that Tanishka had recently applied for a government-sponsored health scheme in the Kanakapura region, using her Aadhaar card as proof of identity.
The Health Scheme Registration and the Decisive OTP Clue
Since Tanishka did not have a personal mobile phone, she entered her husband’s phone number into the application form for the health scheme. During the registration process, the government system sent an OTP to this mobile number to verify the submission. CID officers tracking the Aadhaar database quickly identified this transaction and flagged the mobile number. By geolocating the husband's phone, the CID team traced him to the village in Kanakapura and ultimately located Tanishka. After seven months of searching, she was safely recovered by the agency.
Court Presentation, Pregnancy, and Deep-Seated Academic Stress
Following her recovery, the CID presented Tanishka before the Karnataka High Court. In accordance with the court's directives, she was subsequently reunited with her parents. During her questioning and counseling sessions with the CID, Tanishka revealed that she is currently pregnant. She also detailed the circumstances that drove her to flee her home in January.
Tanishka explained that she had been under severe academic pressure, frequently facing reprimands from her parents for not performing well in her studies. She also expressed a deep-seated feeling of being neglected within her household, believing that her parents favored her elder sister over her. This sense of isolation drove her to plan her escape with her friend.
While Tanishka has been found, the search for her minor friend remains a critical priority for the CID. Like Tanishka, the minor girl had also shared feelings of domestic neglect with her friends before leaving. Police investigations revealed that her family had experienced ongoing tension regarding the desire for a male child, which had added to her emotional distress. The CID is continuing its efforts to locate her and ensure her safe return.
