Missing 13-year-old girl from Kerala found in Visakhapatnam

Thiruvananthapuram: After an extensive 37-hour search, 13-year-old Assam native Tasmeeth Tamsam, who left her home in Thiruvananthapuram following a quarrel with her family, has been found.

She was located on the Tambaram Express from Visakhapatnam in Andhra Pradesh. Members of a Malayali association, acting on a tip-off that she was on the train, identified her. Exhausted, the child was found sleeping in the general compartment.

Tasmeeth was handed over to the Railway Protection Force (RPF) and is now under their custody. Tasmeeth, daughter of Assam resident Anwar Hussain, was reported missing to the Kazhakkoottam police around 4 pm on Tuesday after her parents realised she was gone when they returned home for lunch. Earlier that morning, her parents had scolded her following an argument with her sisters.

The search began with a review of CCTV footage and other evidence, mainly focusing on railway stations. The parents have said that Tasmeeth only understands Assamese.

Initially, there was a suspicion that the girl might have travelled to Chennai to visit her elder brother. However, her brother, Wahid Hussain, has confirmed that he is currently in Bengaluru and that she has neither visited him nor made any contact.

A photograph taken by a fellow passenger on a train headed to Kanyakumari showing the girl crying alone helped the authorities to quickly launch a probe and locate her.

As news broke that their child had been found, Tasmid Tamsum's family finally found some peace. Her father, Anwar Hussain, and mother, Parbeen, expressed their gratitude with tears in their eyes.

"People in Kerala are good, and so are the police here. You brought our child back. Thank you all," said a teary-eyed Anwar Hussain. Officials from the Malayali Association and the RPF in Visakhapatnam also arranged a video call for the parents to speak with the girl.