Baripada: A 30-year-old school teacher, who went missing under mysterious circumstances while on Census duty in Odisha’s Mayurbhanj district, was rescued by police after spending three days near Balasore railway station.
Jyotsnarani Sahu, who serves as an assistant teacher at Dhenkinejia Government Upper Primary School in Baripada, had been untraceable since April 18 after leaving for field verification work as part of the ongoing Census 2026 exercise.
A native of Puri district, Sahu had been working in Baripada for the past eight years and living in rented accommodation. She left her residence around 7 am on April 18. She headed to school before proceeding to nearby villages for census-related duties. Her family last spoke with her around 11:36 am that day, after which her phone was found switched off and she failed to return home. A missing person complaint was subsequently lodged at Baripada Sadar police station.
Subsequent investigations, supported by CCTV footage from Baripada railway station, confirmed that she had boarded a train. She had apparently traveled from Baripada to Balasore by train shortly after leaving her duty. Upon reaching Balasore, she reportedly stayed within the station premises.
A special police team, under the supervision of SDPO Prabhat Kumar Mallick, was formed to trace her. Police located her when she stepped out of the passenger waiting hall to fetch water on Tuesday. She was then brought back to Baripada for further inquiry.
Preliminary investigation suggests that Sahu left due to stress associated with the census work. Further investigation into the matter is underway.
