What was supposed to be a peaceful journey home after the Kedarnath pilgrimage turned into a baffling six-day disappearance for a newly married woman travelling aboard the Dehradun-Ghaziabad Nanda Devi Express.
Pragya Singh, married just three months ago, mysteriously went missing around midnight while returning with her husband, Manish. This triggered a frantic police search that eventually led investigators to Bihar.
Fearing the worst, her husband alerted the railway police, and the search stretched across stations and compartments before leading investigators hundreds of kilometres away to Begusarai in Bihar.
“She further stated that near Laksar railway station, she removed the SIM card from her phone and threw it away. After getting down at Ghaziabad, she boarded another train and travelled to Patna, Bihar, where some of her acquaintances live. The woman stated that no crime or offence had been committed against her and that all her actions were carried out voluntarily,” stated the official release.
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How was Pragya traced?
Pragya was finally traced safe after six days. She has now revealed how she ended up there.
According to Laksar area SP Shekhar Chandra Suyal, the couple had an argument during the journey. Upset after the disagreement, Pragya waited until her husband fell asleep before quietly stepping off the train and boarding another one.
Police said she travelled without a ticket and did not even know that the train she boarded was headed to Begusarai.
After reaching Bihar, Pragya contacted her mother and informed her that she was safe, asking her family not to worry.
Police later traced her location and informed her relatives before bringing her back.
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What led to Pragya disappearing?
The couple had been travelling from Dehradun to Ghaziabad after completing the Kedarnath Yatra on the Nanda Devi Express.
The disappearance came to light when Manish woke up at Muzaffarnagar station and noticed Pragya was missing from her seat. Initially assuming she had gone to the washroom, he waited for her return before beginning to search the train.
When repeated searches through nearby compartments and washrooms yielded no sign of her, and her phone was found switched off, Manish informed the railway police. The case was later transferred to the Roorkee police station, where a missing complaint was registered.
Manish had feared that either an accident or a criminal incident had taken place. He also alleged that CCTV cameras at Muzaffarnagar and Roorkee railway stations were not functioning.
During the investigation, police examined Pragya’s call detail records, which eventually helped trace her to Begusarai. Authorities said she has now been reunited with her family.
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