'Murdered' Woman Allegedly Found Alive 7 Years Later; 'Killer' Still Languishing In Jail

A woman in India who was believed to have been kidnapped and murdered seven years ago allegedly was found alive, while her alleged killer has been languishing in prison for years.

The woman, who was a 14-year-old minor when she disappeared in Uttar Pradesh's Aligarh in 2015, was allegedly found living with her husband and two children in Hathras, 40 kilometers (25 miles) away, The Times of India reported.

Uttar Pradesh police reopened the kidnapping and murder case. A person named Vishnu was accused of killing the girl, ABP News Live reported.

The accused's mother, convinced of her son's innocence, had been doing her own investigation with the help of locals, and it led to the woman being found. The mother of the accused immediately went to police and informed them of the whereabouts of the woman.

Authorities responded and went to Hathras to bring the woman, who is now 22 years old, to Aligarh to record her statement before the magistrate.

Police said that the woman's DNA samples will be collected to determine her identity, according to a court order cited by Times of India.

The woman, who was a class 10 student at the time, went missing on Feb. 17, 2015. Her parents then registered a complaint at the Gonda police station.

"A few days later, the body of a girl was recovered in Agra. The girl's father went there and identified the body as that of his missing daughter based on her clothes. An FIR was lodged against the girl's neighbor on charges of kidnapping and murder in Aligarh. He was arrested and sent to jail," police said, according to the Times of India.

The accused was 18 years old and a class 12 student when he was arrested.

He was released on bail a few years later. However, due to his failure to attend court proceedings, a non-bailable warrant was issued against him, and he was sent to jail again.

"I always believed my son was falsely implicated in the murder case. I would ask everyone I knew if they had spotted the missing girl somewhere. Some took me seriously, some didn't. But I never stopped. I approached people and showed them the girl's photo which was then circulated in various circles," the accused's mother was quoted as saying by the Times of India.

"A few days ago, while a guruji was delivering a discourse in Vrindavan, he recognized the girl who had come to attend the program there. Further inquiry revealed she was living with her family in Hathras," she continued.

The mother, a resident of Aligarh, added, "On Saturday, I went to the police and informed them about her whereabouts. I hope the officials will take swift action and my son will get back his freedom."

Iglas deputy superintendent of police Raghvender Singh said, "The girl was produced before a local court on Monday. After getting the court's permission, we have started the procedure for DNA profiling to ascertain her identity. Further action will be taken based on the report."

An officer with knowledge of the case told the Times of India that the woman's father has already identified her.

Vishnu's mother claimed that the girl's family is currently trying to force her to "compromise" in the case, OpIndia reported.