Bengaluru missing case of Kerala nursing student: 20 yrs on, HC order mom’s last hope for closure

It’s been nearly two decades since Indira’s youngest daughter, Divya Mohanan, a nursing student in Bengaluru, went missing. A native of Pannoor in Thodupuzha, Indira has lived with the hope that she will hear from her daughter one day. As years went by, her hopes faded, and she wished at least she had closure. A recent Kerala High Court order for reinvestigation into the case has rekindled that faint hope, allowing her to approach the Thyagaraja Nagar police in Bengaluru, where the case was first registered. 

While considering her petition, Justice P V Kunhikrishnan granted her liberty to approach the jurisdictional Investigating Officer. The Public Prosecutor had submitted that the investigation in this case was over, and an “undetected” report was submitted before the Court. Indira’s counsel, however, submitted that the petitioner has got new information about an unidentified dead body found. The court noted that if that is the case, the petitioner (Indira) can approach the officer in accordance with the law.

Divya, then 21, was pursuing her second year of the Diploma in General Nursing and Midwifery (DGNM) at Sreenagar Nursing School, Bengaluru. On February 21, 2006, a day before her second-year exams, she went missing. That morning, she collected her hall ticket from college, returned to her hostel, RN House, run by the nursing school, and told her friends she would step out briefly to call her family. She left carrying only enough money for the phone call and was never seen again.

A case was registered at the Thyagaraja Nagar police station, but the investigation yielded nothing. Her belongings, including ₹900 and her hall ticket, were found untouched in her hostel room. Her family members, including her brothers-in-law Sunil and Sabu, rushed to Bengaluru the next day to assist in the search, but could find no trace of her.

In 2011, the family filed another complaint at the Karimanoor police station in Kerala. But the delay had already cost them crucial evidence. “The five-year gap made it impossible to trace her or recover any proof,” says retired sub-inspector Saseendran, who was part of the Kerala team that investigated the case. “We visited Bengaluru twice, but by then, her classmates had left, there were no CCTV cameras, and hardly anyone had phones. We met locals who had seen her cross the road outside the hostel, but after that, there was no clue.”

For Indira, life since then has been a long wait filled with unanswered questions. Her husband Mohanan, a mahout, died in an elephant attack less than two years after Divya’s disappearance — his final wish was to see his daughter once more. “Officers came and went, but nothing happened,” says Indira. “If she were alive, she would have been married and settled like my other daughters. I did everything I could legally, but my financial situation held me back.”

Divya came from a financially struggling family. Indira did daily wage jobs, while Mohanan’s income as a mahout was irregular due to his drinking problems. Still, they ensured education for all three daughters — Maya, Udaya, and Divya. Among them, Divya was the most academically gifted. She studied at Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya, Kulamavu, from Class 6 to 12 on scholarship before briefly enrolling for BCom in Thodupuzha. Persuaded by friends that nursing offered better job prospects, she shifted to Bengaluru in 2004, though her friends eventually dropped out.

“She was doing well in her studies, though she said nursing wasn’t easy. Her brother-in-laws also helped to manage the fees,” recalls Indira. “She last visited home in September 2005 before she went missing. She used to call us through a relative’s landline since ours was disconnected for non-payment. That evening, when her friends called to ask if Divya had reached home, we knew something was wrong.”

The Kerala team also questioned Dr Surendran, then director of the nursing school, after the family expressed doubts about him, but no evidence emerged. “We found nothing suspicious,” says Saseendran. “It remains one of those cases that remains unsolved”

Indira had met former Chief Ministers V S Achuthanandan and Oommen Chandy, seeking intervention and even filed a petition in 2012 for a CBI probe. A local action committee was formed in Karimanoor panchayat and held protests, but over time, the efforts waned.

“Wherever we went, everyone spoke highly of Divya,” says Saseendran. “She was known for her good behaviour and had no affairs or personal issues.”

Now, Indira lives with her daughter Udaya, a private school teacher, while Maya and her husband work at a nearby textile factory. Despite the passing years, her hope remains unbroken. “I have prayed many times to the gods. I only want to know whether my daughter is alive,” she says softly. “If she is, I won’t even insist on seeing her. I just want to know she is safe and happy.”