Two Class 12 students from Tanur, Kerala, who had gone missing earlier this week, were found near Lonavala, Maharashtra, late Thursday night. The girls are currently under the custody of Maharashtra police and a Kerala police team has been dispatched to facilitate their return home.
The students, enrolled at a government higher secondary school, left home on Wednesday morning. Dressed in their school uniforms, they reportedly informed their parents that they will be attending an examination. However, they never reached their exam center, reported PTI. Following this, the teachers alerted the families of the students, who subsequently lodged a missing person complaint with Tanur police.
Investigators traced the girls’ movements through CCTV footage, which showed them changing into formal attire at Tirur railway station, reported on Manorama. Their mobile phones remained switched off for most of the day, except for a brief window when their location was detected in Kozhikode around 2 PM on Wednesday. Further tracking efforts revealed that their mobile signals were last detected in Maharashtra.
By Thursday night, police successfully located the girls near Lonavala, approximately 1,200 kilometers away from their hometown. Local media aired surveillance footage showing them at a hair salon in Panvel, Maharashtra, shortly after their arrival. It is alleged that the girl apparently undertook a hair treatment including straightening priced at Rs 10,000 at the salon. They also befriended a man who reportedly took them to Maharashtra.
A Kerala police team, including women officers, reached Maharashtra on Friday morning to oversee the necessary procedures before escorting the girls back home. Officials confirmed that they are likely to travel back by train.
While the exact reason behind their sudden journey remains unclear, police have launched an investigation into their intentions and activities during their time away.
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