Nepal Mayor's Daughter Disappears From Goa Retreat, Found 2 Days Later

A 36-year-woman from Nepal, the daughter of a mayor in India's neighbouring nation, who had gone missing on Monday has been found, police said. She was found at a hotel in North Goa's Mandrem, around 20 km from where she went missing.

Her father Gopal Hamal had said that his elder daughter Aarti has been missing since Monday, following which Goa police registered a case and launched a search operation.

Aarti Hamal had been staying at an Osho meditation centre in Goa for the past few months. She was last seen near Ashwem Beach, her father said in a post on X (formerly Twitter) which prompted a massive search operation.

"A massive search operation was launched across the state to trace her," a police official said, adding that the eyewitnesses claimed that she was very much in her senses when they last saw her.

Police had also started looking for her at another Osho centre in the state located at Canacona, he added.

"She has been frequently visiting Goa. She had left her phone back at the Osho centre, due to which she could not be traced with the help of technical surveillance," he said.

The state police had started searching all the hotels in and around Pernem and Mandrem areas of North Goa, the official said.

"On Wednesday, Hamal was found in a hotel at Chopdem village along with two other women, who are her friends," he said.

Earlier, Gopal Hamal, the mayor of Dhangadhi sub-metropolitan city, had said that they received a message from Aarti's friend that she had lost contact with her. When the family tried to reach her, they got no response and alerted the police.

"My elder daughter Aarti is an Osho meditator and has been living in Goa for the past few months. However, I received a message from her friend stating that she lost contact with Aarti near Zorba Beach, Ashwem yesterday. I request those living in Goa to assist in the search for my daughter, Aarti," Mr Hamal said.

"Also, my younger daughter Arzoo and son-in-law are flying to Goa tonight to look for our elder daughter Aarti," he added.

Her sister, Arzoo Hamal, also posted an update on Facebook saying that some callers had claimed to have seen Aarti at a bridge near Siolim.

"Some of the people have been very helpful and we are eternally grateful to them. According to some callers she was last spotted at a bridge near Siolim. Few of them believe that she was taken to a hospital from there in an ambulance as she was found unconscious while the others have been saying that she was taken to the police station," Arzoo said in a Facebook post.

"But nothing has really been clear so far. An FIR has been logged and we are hoping to find my sister soon," she added.