Missing 14-yr-old wanted to visit Kumbh, but reached Bengal

Thane police reunited a missing 14-year-old girl with her family after she mistakenly traveled to Santragachi instead of Prayagraj for Kumbh mela.

THANE: The Thane police have reunited a 14-year-old girl who had gone missing on February 3 with her family. The girl had wanted to go to Prayagraj to visit the Kumbh mela but had boarded a train which took her to Santragachi near Kolkata, where a fellow passenger’s family gave her shelter, said police. She was brought back to Mumbai on February 8 and handed over to her parents.

Missing 14-yr-old wanted to visit Kumbh, but reached Bengal

According to the police, the girl is a devotee of Lord Krishna and was desperate to attend the Kumbh mela. On February 3 morning, after her father dropped her off near her school, she proceeded to Thane railway station instead of attending classes and boarded a train for Panvel. At Panvel, she boarded the Pune-Santragachi Humsafar Express, assuming incorrectly that it would go via Prayagraj.

During the trip, a fellow passenger who works at a sweet shop in Pune told her that she would have to change trains at Santragachi to reach Prayagraj and offered to help her continue her journey. Once the train reached Santragachi on February 4, he took her home and introduced her to his sister and mother.

Meanwhile, in Thane, when the girl did not return home by February 3 afternoon, her family searched for her, then filed a missing complaint at the Thane Nagar police station.

Three teams were formed to look for her, led by police inspector Pratap Bhosale and assistant inspectors Sapna Tate and Bharat Markar. They interviewed the girl’s friends and identified the train she had boarded but were unable to trace her for several days.

When the girl’s parents realised that she had taken her tablet with her, they informed the police.

“As soon as we learnt that she was carrying a tablet with her, we managed to trace her location,” said an officer from Thane Nagar police station.

The girl had connected her tablet to the internet after reaching the fellow passenger’s home using the hotspot from his sister’s phone, the officer noted. While this helped the police trace her location, CCTV footage from West Bengal confirmed that she had alighted at Santragachi station. Accordingly, a police team left for the eastern state.

“We spoke to the man’s sister and mother and instructed them to ensure her safety. Then our team reached their house and brought her back safely to Mumbai, after which she was reunited with her family,” said the officer.

The police are probing if the family that hosted her had any ill intentions.