Bengaluru Teen Missing, Was Big Into Online Spiritual 'Influencers'

In Bengaluru, helpless parents have reached out to the public on the microblogging site Twitter to help find their minor daughter who went missing on October 31. It's been two months; the cops are still scouting for clues and have called it a tricky case. On October 31, 17-year-old Anushka left her home in Bengaluru with two pairs of clothes and 2,500 rupees in cash. Two months later, her parents are living the nightmare of still not knowing where their only daughter is.

"She was avoiding us. Everybody. We know she loves us. Sure, she will return to us," said her mother.

Anushka was a regular teenager but her parents first noticed a change in her behaviour in September. She became a recluse.

"I took her to a counsellor. The behavioural changes we saw was she stopped talking to us, she was keeping to herself, restricted herself from household activities" Abhishek, her father said.

Anushka's parents suspect she was very influenced by reading online about shamanism, an ancient healing tradition that is believed to connect with a world of spirits.

"It seemed someone influenced her. She's a minor. She may not be in a position to take a judgemental decision on her own. She told me that she wanted to follow shamanism," added her father.

Anushka had passed 12th class and was reportedly influenced by spiritual life coaches and psychedelic educators like Sahara Rose and Kamya Buch. She had reportedly spoken to her parents about wanting to practise shamanism.

Bengaluru police say there were no CCTVs at the place where the teenager was said to have got dropped. They are probing her online activity.

Vinayak Patil, Deputy Commissioner of Police of Bengaluru North said, "We analysed her movement through CCTV cameras. Apart from her online activities which we could gather forensically, we are exploring her interest in the recent past. During this intervening period, she has not contacted anybody. We are looking at a huge database of CCTV."

The parents have now put out a public appeal to help find their daughter.