13-Year-Old Missing From Mumbai Found Beside Cop After His Prayer in Mathura

The girl, a devoted follower of Lord Krishna and Radha, went missing from her home in Gorai on August 22 without informing her family. She lived with her mother, her father, who works as an autorickshaw driver, and her elder sister. The family is originally from Uttar Pradesh. After she went missing, her parents approached Borivli police, following which a missing-person investigation was launched.

According to police, the girl had been deeply religious since childhood and had a particular devotion to Lord Krishna and Radha. She would make idols with her own hands, worship them and offer them food. She also regularly watched television serials based on Lord Krishna and other religious themes.

Police said the family believed that the girl was experiencing mental health difficulties and had brought her to Mumbai with the intention of getting her treated. Even after coming to the city, she reportedly spent much of her time in religious activities.

After the girl's disappearance, investigators examined her mother's mobile phone and found significant clues in the Google search history.

“We found that the girl had searched for Mathura as well as several temples and religious places associated with Lord Krishna,” police said.

“This gave us an indication that she may have travelled to Mathura.”

CCTV footage subsequently showed the girl travelling by autorickshaw to Borivli railway station and boarding the Golden Temple Mail train, which stops at Mathura Junction. Police said the girl had reportedly broken open her money box before leaving home and was carrying only around R300. She had no mobile phone, making it difficult for investigators to trace her movements.

Under the guidance of the DCP, North, Senior Police Inspector Pushpalata Mandale and Police Inspector (Crime) Digvijay Patil, PSI Surendra Lokhande of the Missing Persons Search Team of Borivli police station, PC Prabhakar Gawde, Pramod Chaudhary, WPC Shanti Shingda and PC Vishnu Ghatol travelled to Mathura to search for her.

The police team searched extensively across Mathura and surrounding religious centres, including Vrindavan, Nidhivan, the ghats, Barsana and other places associated with Lord Krishna and Radha.

Officers checked temples, ashrams, dharamshalas, railway routes, CCTV footage and places where free food and accommodation are provided to pilgrims.

“We spoke to volunteers, devotees and other people at these places. We were told that thousands of people come to such places every day, making the search extremely difficult,” said PSI Surender Lokhande.

The team also approached religious figures for assistance and requested their help in tracing the girl. The officers continued moving from one temple to another, from ashrams to dharamshalas and through crowded areas where pilgrims lined up for free food and accommodation.

On September 1, after three days of searching, the team was exhausted and still had no confirmed information about the girl's whereabouts. Lokhande said that at one point, he stood on a raised platform and looked across the crowd, hoping to spot the missing teenager.

“After that, I went and stood in front of the idol of Lord Krishna at the Radha Rani Temple in Barsana. I folded my hands, closed my eyes and prayed to God for help,” Lokhande recalled.

“My eyes were closed for some time. When I opened them and looked to my left and right, I suddenly saw the same missing girl standing on my right side,” he said.

Initially, Lokhande said, he could not believe what he was seeing. “I took out the girl's photograph on my mobile phone and compared it with the girl standing there. To make sure, I called out her name. She immediately looked at me and asked, ‘How do you know me?’” he recalled.

The officer immediately alerted the rest of the team and informed police personnel deployed in uniform inside the temple premises.

“We told her, ‘Beta, we have been looking for you. We have come from Borivli police station to take you home,’” he said.

The officers then spoke to the girl at length and gained her confidence before taking her into their care.

According to police, the girl said she did not know who had provided her food or clothes during parts of her journey. She reportedly told investigators that she kept seeing Lord Krishna walking ahead of her and followed him, eventually reaching the Mathura-Barsana region.

After completing the necessary formalities, the police team brought the girl safely back to Mumbai by train, bringing an end to the three-day search for the teenager.