MANGALURU: A curious case of four students — three aged 12 and a 21-year-old woman — reported missing from a Bengaluru apartment complex was cracked as the runaways were traced in the city on Tuesday. Police said the four friends wanted to move to a village and stay together as they feared they would have to part ways for studies and work in the city.
The minors — two boys and a girl — and the 21-year-old, a third-year BCA student, left home on Sunday telling their parents they were going out to play cricket. “They went to Yeshwantpur railway station and travelled to Haveri, then took another train and went to Mysuru and Arsikere and went back to Bengaluru. From Bengaluru, they travelled to Mangaluru in a bus,” said DCP (law and order) Hariram Shankar.
A case was registered in the Soladevanahalli police station in Bengaluru after the four did not return home. They deleted their social media accounts to prevent tracking, police said.
Autoricksaw drivers Prashanth and Ramesh came upon the group at 7.30am when they alighted from a bus. “They looked scared. They had about four bags, two of them school bags. They said they were looking for a lodge but we were suspicious since they were so young,” said Prashanth. The drivers took the four to the police station.
Mangaluru police commissioner N Shashi Kumar said: “The four are close friends and played cricket and other games every Sunday. Their parents were telling them that they would send them off to hostel.” He said byy the time they reached Mangaluru, they had more or less run out of money.
“Locals found their behaviour suspicious as they tried to throw away their bag along with ornaments which they were wearing, probably to project that they were robbed,” the DCP added, saying the children’s claims are being verified.
The minors — two boys and a girl — and the 21-year-old, a third-year BCA student, left home on Sunday telling their parents they were going out to play cricket. “They went to Yeshwantpur railway station and travelled to Haveri, then took another train and went to Mysuru and Arsikere and went back to Bengaluru. From Bengaluru, they travelled to Mangaluru in a bus,” said DCP (law and order) Hariram Shankar.
A case was registered in the Soladevanahalli police station in Bengaluru after the four did not return home. They deleted their social media accounts to prevent tracking, police said.
Autoricksaw drivers Prashanth and Ramesh came upon the group at 7.30am when they alighted from a bus. “They looked scared. They had about four bags, two of them school bags. They said they were looking for a lodge but we were suspicious since they were so young,” said Prashanth. The drivers took the four to the police station.
Mangaluru police commissioner N Shashi Kumar said: “The four are close friends and played cricket and other games every Sunday. Their parents were telling them that they would send them off to hostel.” He said byy the time they reached Mangaluru, they had more or less run out of money.
“Locals found their behaviour suspicious as they tried to throw away their bag along with ornaments which they were wearing, probably to project that they were robbed,” the DCP added, saying the children’s claims are being verified.
