Irked over parents’ scolding, Bengaluru teen girl, brother go on a bus odyssey across Karnataka

The police said the siblings had intended to travel to Chitradurga, where their grandmother lives, but mistakenly boarded a bus bound for Shivamogga.

Investigations revealed that the girl used her Aadhaar card to avail free travel under the state government’s Shakti scheme. She purchased a bus ticket for herself and took her younger brother along without one, as the conductor failed to notice him. The two then embarked on an unplanned journey across the state, travelling through Shivamogga and Chitradurga districts.

CCTV footage later helped police piece together their movements. The siblings were seen leaving their house with a bag, reaching the Majestic Bus terminal via the Marathahalli Bridge Skywalk, and boarding a bus towards Shivamogga.

The police alerted stations across Karnataka and circulated the children’s details on social media. The breakthrough came when members of the public spotted the siblings in Bhadravathi, around 290 kilometres away, and informed the police after recognising them from the shared messages.

HAL police coordinated with the local police, traced the children, and brought them back safely to Bengaluru. After counselling, the girl and her brother were reunited with their parents, the police said.