Teen left for college, vanished for 7 months. An OTP finally led police to her

An 18-year-old second-year PUC student who went missing from Bengaluru on January 31 was traced earlier this week after more than seven months, police said.

Investigators located her through an Aadhaar-linked one-time password and found her in a village in Kanakapura taluk, where she was living with a man she had married.

A senior CID officer said the girl was married and pregnant, but did not share further details.

Police later produced her before the Karnataka High Court and handed her over to her parents.

Efforts are continuing to trace another girl, a minor, who had gone missing with her and is still untraced.

According to police, the student had left home with her minor friend after telling her family that they were going to college. The two did not carry their mobile phones or other belongings, apart from their Aadhaar cards and college bags.

Police said they later travelled to Male Mahadeshwara Hills and then parted ways, after which multiple teams were deployed to trace them.

The CID took over the investigation in April after the Karnataka High Court, hearing a habeas corpus petition filed by the girl's parents, ordered the transfer of the case.

Earlier this week, investigators found that she had recently used her Aadhaar details and entered her husband's mobile number to receive an OTP, an official said.

It was not clear what service the Aadhaar details were used for, and police said they would not reveal more about the investigation at this stage until the other missing girl is traced.

Police traced the mobile number to the girl's husband and, after questioning him, located her. The student has since been handed over to her parents, while the search for the missing minor girl is still under way.- EndsPublished By: India Today Web Desk Published On: Sep 11, 2026 23:48 IST