Surat: A 23-year-old teacher who had eloped with her 11-year-old student last week was traced by Pune Police on Tuesday. After a four-day-long search operation, the duo was located on a private bus near Shamlaji, close to the Rajasthan border, over 390 km from Surat. Both have since been brought back to the city, ending a tense and sensitive search operation.

The incident occurred on April 25, when the teacher and student—both living in the same society in the Magob area under the jurisdiction of Puna police station—went missing. CCTV footage revealed that the teacher and the student had run away together.

According to Pune Police, the teacher’s mobile phone was switched off soon after she fled with the student, making it difficult to track their movements. CCTV footage from the railway station and bus terminal yielded no clues, prompting authorities to suspect the use of a private bus for travel. Investigators later discovered that the teacher had another mobile number, which was active and ultimately helped trace her location.

Following this lead, a four-member police team was dispatched and intercepted the private bus near Shamlaji around 4:00 am. The teacher and the student were taken into custody and brought back to Surat.

Preliminary interrogation revealed that the teacher had known the student for the past three years. He had been attending tuition classes at her home, initially in a group and then individually for the past year. Both families were reportedly familiar with each other, and police are now probing the nature of their relationship and the circumstances surrounding their disappearance. DeshGujaart