Missing 'Covid-19-positive' woman returns home

Nearly three weeks after a woman mysteriously disappeared after boarding what was claimed to be a Covid-19 ambulance in Bommanahalli, police said she had returned home.

A senior government official said that the Bengaluru police brought back 28-year-old Archana (name changed), a customer service executive, from Delhi.

“She came with an advocate to give a statement to the police,” said Captain P Manivannan, Special Officer for Bommanahalli Zone.

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Archana is said to have told the police that she was physically assaulted and tortured by her husband and brother-in-law. The incidents had prompted her to reach out to a friend for help, according to Manivannan. Archana’s in-laws could not be reached for comment.

According to the police, two individuals from Bihar had hired the ambulance to take Archana away. “The men were not known to the woman. It was a friend's idea to use the ambulance,” a source said.

Were marital problems behind the escape?

Police said they had confirmed that she, of her own will, had sought the help of a friend to escape from home. A police statement to the media said that evidence had been accumulated to support this.

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Archana told the police that she was having marital problems for several months. “So, on the pretext of going to the hospital to take the Covid-19 test, she escaped with the help of her friend,” a policeman said.

The BBMP and health department officials said the case was not related to the ongoing Covid-19 testing.

“The public should not be afraid to get tested for Covid-19 or use the ambulances,” an official said.