Rohitha Kuthuru, a 34-year-old Apple techie in Hyderabad, who has been missing for 12 days, was allegedly spotted by local residents near Patny circle on Saturday, in localities adjoining Secunderabad. She has been missing since she was last seen boarding an autorickshaw on December 26, 2019, near Wipro Circle in the Gachibowli police station limits.
The Cyberabad police say they have formed nine teams to trace Rohitha. Her brother, K Parikshith, along with friends and family members, has also independently formed teams to search for Rohitha.
Parikshith had turned to social media to help police in the search for his sister after she went missing, and on Sunday, they received a potential lead: Rohitha had purportedly been spotted near Patny circle on Saturday, in localities adjoining Secunderabad.
Rohitha had seemingly been seen near a shopping mall opposite Patny circle by a friend of Parikshith, identified as Deepak. He noted that he saw someone who resembled Rohitha near an SBI ATM opposite the Taj hotel. Parikshith recalled Deepak’s story: “She was there for around 20 minutes and was in a mentally disturbed condition. Deepak saw my post on social media and contacted me. I passed the information onto the police,” he said.
“The woman who resembled Rohitha was standing out and looking at a poster without moving for 10 to 15 minutes. I am worried that she is in a vulnerable condition,” said Parikshith, who noted that Rohitha had allegedly been battling a dowry harassment case against her estranged husband.
“The cops then came to look for CCTV footage. They told us to verify if it’s the same person. We saw the video. The body language is similar. Apart from me, my cousins also watched it,” Parikshith said. However, the family couldn’t identify her by her face. “We then started confirming with people on the ground,” he added.
Parikshith and his friends also went in search of his missing sister. “We started talking to the cobblers and autorickshaw drivers nearby. There were about six to seven people who said they had seen her there on Saturday,” he said.
The person suspected of being Rohitha had also apparently approached a traffic cop at Patny Circle and asked him where one could find biryani, which the brother found strange. “She is a vegetarian,” Parikshith told TNM.
At the time Rohitha stepped out of her apartment in Gachibowli, she had cash and a wallet with her, but not her cell phone. This had made tracing her difficult, the police told TNM.
The brother also tried searching for his sister at spots in the city where the homeless would sleep. “On Saturday, a person near a paid toilet at Secunderabad railway station saw her come to the washroom with her bag twice. We have put up her picture at the railway station and have informed the railway police.” She was also allegedly spotted at around 12:30 am on Sunday near Secunderabad Railway station.
Rohitha’s family is currently searching for her near Bowenpally based on a tip-off.
Speaking to TNM, the Cyberabad police say they have information from sources on the ground about Rohitha being spotted at tank bund, Mahakali, Gopalpuram, Paradise and Secunderabad localities. “On January 4th morning at around peak traffic hour, Rohitha had approached a traffic cop who was unable to identify her immediately. By the time we reached, she had left the locality,” said A Srinivas, the investigating officer with Gachibowli police station under Cyberabad Commissionerate.
Police believe that Rohitha is moving about willingly on her own. “Initially, we feared that she had been kidnapped. Now we are suspecting that she is roaming around willingly as she has not reached out to cops for any help. We are also looking at all possibilities as to why she is roaming around alone,” said Srinivas.
Those who have any information on Rohitha’s whereabouts can reach out to 9032422274.