BENGALURU: A 15-year-old orphan girl who was missing her grandparents and set out on foot from Bengaluru to her village in Kodagu district to meet them has been reunited with her family after nearly two weeks. The girl lost her way after walking for 20km and police tracked her in eight days after scouring through footage from 250 CCTV cameras.
The girl had lost her parents long ago and was brought up by maternal grandparents in a village of Kodagu district. The grandparents thought that the girl should get good education and shifted her to a relative’s house in Banashankari in early 2020.
15-yr-old girl decided to walk 270km to be with her grandparents
The girl was too attached to her grandparents and wished to return to them. But the grandparents insisted she should complete her education. Left with no choice, the girl decided to walk 270km to be with her grandparents.
She left her home at 9am on August 21. With no money or baggage, she walked from Banashankari, took Mysuru Road and reached Kommaghatta, near Kengeri, by 7pm. The enveloping darkness and hunger forced her to knock on the doors of a house, asking for water.
The homemaker was shocked to hear the girl’s story. Her two daughters decided to give shelter to the girl. By then, the girl’s relative had filed a complaint with Banashankari police. A team led by inspector HP Puttaswamy and sub-inspector Manjunath started a search. “We scanned footage from over 250 CCTV cameras, beginning from Banashankari. We found her walking on Mysuru Road. After reaching Kengeri and heading in Kommaghatta direction, she lost her trail. With help of her photo, we began questioning residents,” an officer said.
By then, the homemaker and her family were in a dilemma as the girl pleaded with them not to inform police. Before the family could arrive at a decision, police were knocking on their doors on August 29. The girl was rushed to a rehabilitation centre, near Nimhans. With help of officials from child welfare committee, cops contacted her grandparents.
Finally, the minor was reunited with them. The girl and her grandparents left for their village on September 5.
