Two girls from Malappuram, Kerala, who went missing on Wednesday, were found in Lonavala, Maharashtra, after a 35-hour search operation. The girls, who were travelling on the Chennai-Egmore Express, were identified by Railway Police using photographs shared by Kerala Police. They have been safely taken to the Pune RPF office.
The girls, who had left home claiming to attend an exam at Devadhar Government Higher Secondary School, did not reach the school. Concerned parents and the school principal filed a police complaint. Investigations revealed that the girls had befriended a man from Edavanna on Instagram and travelled with him from Kozhikode to Panvel.
Maharashtra Police and local Malayali community members were alerted after the girls were spotted at a beauty parlour in Panvel run by a Malayali woman. However, they had left before authorities arrived. The parlour owner reported that the girls, wearing masks, visited the parlour around 2 pm on Thursday, with one captured on video getting a haircut.
The girls told the parlour owner they had come to Mumbai for a friend’s wedding but left before their friend could pick them up. Their absence was noticed when the school contacted their families after one girl missed an exam on Wednesday. Both girls had last taken an exam on March 3.
The Tanur DySP confirmed the girls are safe but anxious about their families’ reactions. Authorities are investigating the circumstances of their disappearance and the role of the Instagram acquaintance.
