{
  "id": 6711746,
  "title": "Bengaluru teen left for college and vanished. Months later, OTP led police to her",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/11/bengaluru-teen-left-for-college-and-vanished-months-later-otp-led",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-09-11T04:59:53.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "The Indian Express",
    "slug": "the-indian-express",
    "url": "https://indianexpress.com/article/cities/bangalore/bengaluru-teen-tanishka-missing-case-aadhaar-otp-cid-trace-10872963/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "In January of this year, an 18-year-old girl named Tanishka departed from her home in Bengaluru, claiming she was going to college with a friend. Her family last saw her on that day, with her disappearance remaining unsolved until seven months later. On that fateful day, an OTP generated for a government welfare scheme led the police to a village in Karnataka, where Tanishka was eventually found. The Criminal Investigation Department (CID) presented her before the Karnataka High Court, which had already ordered the CID to lead the investigation after her parents filed a habeas corpus petition. The police now reveal that Tanishka is married and expecting a child.\n\nTanishka, a second-year PUC student, left home with a minor friend, both of them carrying only Aadhaar cards and college bags, leaving behind mobile phones, ATM cards, and other personal belongings. The girls reportedly communicated with their friends, stating they were at Male Mahadeshwara Hills and intended to call back in a week. However, no further contact was made. A missing person case was registered at Vidyaranyapura police station, and a 10-member team searched for the girls at multiple locations across India, but they could not be located.\n\nAccording to the police, Tanishka confided that she felt neglected by her family, alleging that her parents often scolded her for poor academic performance and favored her elder, academically successful sister. The minor girl, who was the only child of parents who desired a son, also expressed feeling neglected at home. The police discovered that the girls first visited temples in Mysuru and Chamarajanagar before proceeding to Male Mahadeshwara Hills, where their intentions were to end their lives. However, they encountered two young men who dissuaded them from committing suicide. Tanishka subsequently moved in with one of the men, married him in a temple, and settled in his village in Kanakapura taluk.\n\nWith no mobile phones or SIM cards, tracing the girls was difficult for months. Tanishka's Aadhaar card was the only document she possessed, and the police sought her Aadhaar information through the high court during the investigation. The breakthrough came when investigators found that Tanishka had recently enrolled for a government health scheme using her Aadhaar details, entering her husband's phone number to receive OTPs. The police traced the number to him, arrested him, and questioned him, leading them to Tanishka. The girls have been handed over to their parents after being produced before the high court. The search for the other missing girl continues.",
  "summary": null,
  "key_points": [
    "18-year-old Tanishka vanished from Bengaluru in January, her disappearance unsolved for seven months",
    "OTP from government welfare scheme led police to her in Karnataka village",
    "Tanishka is married and expecting a child after moving in with her husband"
  ],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}