MP: 12 days on, disappearance of civil judge aspirant still a mystery

Bhopal, Aug 18 It's been 12 days, but the sudden disappearance of a 28-year-old woman, Archana Tiwari, a civil judge aspirant, still remained a mystery as despite extensive searches jointly by the Railway and Madhya Pradesh Police, she could not be traced, till Monday.

She had reportedly boarded the Indore-Bilaspur Narmada Express on the evening of August 7, leaving behind a note in her hostel register that she would return by August 17. But somewhere between Indore and Katni, she vanished without a trace.

Bhopal Superintendent of Police (Railway) Rahul Kumar Lodha told IANS that three teams comprising more than 25 police personnel have been carrying out extensive search operations in various locations; however, she could not be traced so far.

"Her last location was traced at Bhopal's Rani Kamlapati Railway Station. Apart from scanning CCTV footage, searches are being carried out. We have also involved Bilaspur Railway Police as she had boarded the train from there," Lodha said, talking to IANS on Monday.

He informed that the IP address of her mobile phone was traced at Itarsi railway station, and an extensive search was carried out in nearby forest areas for the last three days. Besides forest areas, searches were carried out in some other probable spots between Bhopal and Itarsi, but no concrete evidence was found.

"All co-passengers and train staff members, including TCs (ticket collectors) and attendants, have been questioned. We have also contacted her friends and family members, they all were clueless about her sudden disappearance," Lodha added. Her last known communication came around 10:15 p.m., when she told her aunt that she was near Bhopal.

The CCTV footage confirmed her presence at the Rani Kamlapati station, but after that, she was never seen again. Her mobile phone went silent, and her belongings -- including Rakhi gifts -- were later discovered abandoned on her seat at the Umaria station. Even a coach attendant was reportedly nearby, making the possibility of a kidnapping seem implausible to investigators.

Lodha also stated that the train route cuts through dense forests and overgrown terrain, made even more difficult by monsoon rains. Despite the challenges, he expressed confidence that the search teams would make a breakthrough soon. The Government Railway Police, district police forces, cyber cell experts, and SDRF (State Disaster Response Force) divers have all been mobilised, Lodha said.

Investigators have also reached out to her friends, fellow students, hostel mates, and even taxi services to trace her movements before she boarded the train. A CCTV clip from her hostel shows her speaking on the phone while leaving, dressed in an orange-collared outfit and carrying her travel bag. However, despite all these relentless efforts, the authorities remain tight-lipped about certain developments.

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