Haridwar/Begusarai: A 29-year-old woman who went missing from the Nanda Devi Express while returning from the Kedarnath pilgrimage has been found safe in Bihar’s Begusarai district after five days of intensive search operations by police.
The woman, identified as Pragya Singh, was traced by police after she contacted her family using a new mobile number on Wednesday evening. A police team subsequently reached Begusarai and brought her to Laksar police station in Uttarakhand’s Haridwar district, where she is currently being questioned. Her family members are also present at the police station.
Dehradun Rural SP Shekhar Chandra Suyal said a missing complaint had been registered at Laksar police station after Pragya disappeared from the train. Police teams launched an investigation using surveillance inputs, CCTV footage and the train route.
According to police, Pragya told investigators during preliminary questioning that she had left home on her own after being upset over an unspecified issue. She reportedly denied being under any pressure or the involvement of any third person.
“The primary objective was to recover her safely, which has been achieved. Further legal procedures and detailed statements are now being recorded,” SP Suyal said.
Pragya’s brother, Vibhoom, said over the phone that his sister appeared healthy, but the family had not yet been allowed to speak to her in detail as police questioning was still underway.
However, the case continues to raise several unanswered questions, including how Pragya disappeared from the moving train and under what circumstances she travelled all the way to Bihar.
Pragya Singh had married Manish Agrahari in February 2026 in a love marriage. According to family members, the couple had recently gone on a religious trip together and were returning from Kedarnath when the incident occurred.
On the night of May 5, Pragya and her husband were travelling on the Nanda Devi Express from Dehradun to Ghaziabad. Manish told police that the couple had normal conversations till Haridwar before they fell asleep.
He said that when he woke up near Muzaffarnagar during the night, Pragya was missing from her seat. Initially, he assumed she had gone to the washroom or another coach, but despite searching the entire train, he could not locate her.
According to the family, Manish informed them about Pragya’s disappearance around 1 am. He later got off at Muzaffarnagar railway station and sought help from the Railway Police.
The family alleged that CCTV cameras at both Muzaffarnagar and Roorkee railway stations were not functioning, complicating the investigation and increasing fears of a possible mishap.
Pragya’s last mobile phone location was reportedly traced near Laksar, an area where trains often slow down due to a curve on the route. Following this, the family filed a missing report at Laksar police station.
Family members and police teams searched railway tracks between Roorkee and Muzaffarnagar on foot for several kilometres but failed to find any clue. Police also examined Pragya’s call detail records, messages and WhatsApp chats, but investigators reportedly found no suspicious activity.
Officials said the case was gradually turning into a blind investigation before the breakthrough came through Pragya’s call from a new number.
After receiving the location input from Begusarai, police teams reached Bihar and safely recovered her. Authorities said her detailed statement would help determine whether she voluntarily left the train or if there were any other circumstances involved.
According to the family, Manish Agrahari works as a software engineer, while Pragya is a homemaker. Relatives said the couple appeared happy after their marriage, and there had been no visible signs of any dispute or tension before the incident.
