The 15-year-old girl, who went missing from a village in Bantwal on Monday following a reported threat by right-wing activists, has been traced at her relative’s house in Bagalkot district.
The girl’s parents, who are native of Bagalkot district and earn a living by working at a stone quarry, filed a complaint with the Bantwal Rural Police on Tuesday about their daughter missing from the house since Monday.
During questioning, the parents, who belong to a Scheduled Castes community, revealed the recent visit by four right-wing activists to their house and threat issued to their daughter and themselves for reportedly speaking to Muslims. The girl’s mother said that the activists assaulted her. The parents suspected that the incident prompted their daughter to leave the house.
The police arrested Umesh (33), an autorickshaw driver, and Ramesh (48), who runs a small hotel, in this connection. The police have also launched a search for Umesh’s brother Rajesh and a few others.
The police said that the girl boarded a bus from Mangaluru and landed in a village in Bagalkot district. She was safe in her relative’s house, the police said.
