A 27-year-old teacher from Guwahati, who had been missing since Friday, was located in Meghalaya on Saturday. According to police, she left her home due to mental distress arising from difficulties in her personal and professional life.
Sequence of Events
On Friday, Bhabana Sharma was heading to a private school to collect her pending salary. She initially booked an app-based auto from her residence in the Tetelia area, on the outskirts of the city, but then cancelled the ride and booked another auto, heading to the Adabari area, police said.
Deputy Commissioner of Police (West) Balin Deuri stated on Saturday, "From Adabari, she booked an app-based bike and asked the rider, Saddam Hussain, to drop her near the Assam Engineering College (AEC) in Jalukbari. From there, she walked to the Jalukbari rotary junction, entered an ATM booth, and withdrew Rs 7,000 in cash. This became a crucial clue for us to track her."
After withdrawing the cash, she sent a message to her mother stating she was in danger. "She then boarded a city bus. We tracked her last location near the Sukleshwar temple, but after that, her phone signal was lost," Deuri added.
Search and Recovery
A search operation was launched, and police mapped potential destinations, including Meghalaya, Arunachal Pradesh, Bangalore, and Delhi, alerting respective police forces. "She was found near a hotel in Shillong in a distressed condition, but no injuries were reported. She contacted her mother using a passerby's phone, after which Meghalaya Police located her. Our team has left to bring her back," Deuri said.
Police confirmed that the circumstances leading to her disappearance are still under investigation.
