A 76-year-old South African woman of Indian origin, who had been missing since February 23, resurfaced on Thursday, unaware of the panic she had caused.
The woman told the police that she had been facing network issues while she was travelling.
According to the Kurla railway police, Devakiamma Pillai reached Mumbai on February 21, and stayed at Prossers guest house in Colaba. She checked out on February 23 and boarded a train from Lokmanya Tilak Terminus for Bhubaneswar, and had been incommunicado since then. Her daughter Mala, after trying to get in touch in vain, contacted the guest house manager, who registered a missing person’s report on March 2.
An employee of Prossers guest house, who did not wish to be named, told The Hindu that Ms. Pillai returned to the guest house around 3:30 p.m. on Thursday. The management subsequently informed the Kurla railway police, who recorded her statement.
Sub-inspector Rajaram Jadhav said, “Ms Pillai went to Bhubaneswar for about three days, and then took a train to Kolkata, where she stayed for five days, before heading to Varanasi. She had been travelling alone and said she tried contacting her family, but could not due to network issues. Her call records confirm this.”
The guest house employee said, “Ms. Pillai was very relaxed and seemed confused about the panic she had unwittingly caused. She said she had gone on a pilgrimage, and we should have known she would be safe in God’s hands.”
The police will close the missing person’s complaint after making sure she is unhurt. “Her son arrived from South Africa a few days ago and is in Odisha. We have informed him of the development,” Mr. Jadhav said.
