Missing teen, influenced by Shamanism reunited with family after 78 days

Nearly 78 days after a minor girl went missing from her residence in Bengaluru’s Rajajinagar, the 17-year-old contacted her parents from a landline on Monday.

The girl, Anushka had left home on October 31 with just two pairs of clothes and Rs 2,500 in cash. She didn’t even carry her mobile phone.

The girl’s parents had told the police that she was influenced by shamanism (a religious practice based on the belief that its practitioner interacts with spirits in an altered state of consciousness) and had been reading about the practice online. Cops had filed a case of kidnap (because she is a minor) but were unable to trace her despite their best efforts. Last month, her parents had taken to Twitter and sought public help to trace their daughter.

As per reports, the girl made the telephone call to her parents and informed that she was at an orphanage in Surat, Gujarat. Her parents alerted the police who verified that she was indeed in Surat.

Later a team of police personnel alongwith her parents reached Surat and brought her back to Bengaluru.

According to the police, the girl is mentally disturbed and thus they are waiting for a few days before inquiring with her if she had left her home at someone’s behest.