A young woman from Bhimavaram, Andhra Pradesh, who had been missing for nine months, has been safely recovered in Jammu following an extensive police investigation.
Tejaswini, a student from Machavaram, disappeared on October 28, 2023. Her parents filed a missing person report, but the case saw little progress until June 22, 2024, when her mother appealed to Deputy Chief Minister Pawan Kalyan for assistance.
Reportedly, the Deputy CM’s intervention prompted a renewed police effort. Investigators traced the pair’s journey through several states before locating them in Jammu. The breakthrough came when Tejaswini managed to send a message to her sister via Instagram.
The girl’s mother said that Amjad, the man Tejaswini was found with, intended to sell her daughter to criminal groups in Jammu and Kashmir. She also said that Amjad had been evading police by frequently changing phones and SIM cards.
Tejaswini also told police that she endured difficult conditions. She said that Amzad had deprived her of sufficient food for nearly a month and had taken away her phone to stop her from contacting her family. The accused also made her wear a hijab to hide her identity.
“Amzad would show me the armed forces patrolling outside the house in Jammu and scare me by saying that the police would shoot me if I tried to escape. Unable to bear the torture, I thought about ending my life twice,” the girl said. “By God’s grace, I was rescued. Thanks to the government and the Machavaram police,” she said.
Recently, the cases of love jihad are rising in India, highlighting authorities’ frequent failure to deliver justice without political pressure.