‘Best Friends’ BSF Lady Constables Flee Together From MP, Traced In West Bengal; Akansha’s Mom Alleges Kidnap By Shahana

Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): Two Border Security Force (BSF) lady constables who went missing from the Tekanpur Cantonment in MP's Gwalior, were traced in West Bengal. The two constables-- Shahana Khatoon and Akanksha Nikhar, were located at the Murshidabad border on Friday. They are currently being interrogated by the BSF officials.

Both the constables claimed they left together of their own free will.

The last sighting of Akanksha and Shahana was on June 6, 2024. The BSF had filed a missing persons report at the Bilaua police station. Akanksha’s mother had accused colleague Shahana of kidnapping her daughter.

What was the case?

Akanksha, 30, from Jabalpur’s Jogi Mohalla, was posted as an instructor at the BSF's STC (Subsidiary Training Centre). In December 2023, when Akanksha’s roommate went on a 15-day leave, Shahana from West Bengal was attached to the BSF Tekanpur.

Given Akanksha’s room was vacant, Shahana moved in with her, and the two became fast friends. Their bond grew so strong that they considered each other their entire world, distancing themselves from everyone else at the Tekanpur Cantonment.

Akanksha had previously served on the West Bengal border for eight years before being posted at the Tekanpur Cantonment in Gwalior in 2021. Shahana, too, had served on the West Bengal border, but they were not friends then.

Kidnaping speculated by Akanksha's kin

Akanksha’s mother, Urmila Nikhar, speculated that Shahana might have come to Gwalior with a plan, as her home and job were in West Bengal. Urmila Nikhar even visited Shahana’s home in Murshidabad during her search for Akanksha.

However, Shahana’s family did not cooperate, refusing to meet or provide any information about the girls. Urmila had informed the police that she suspects a kidnapping.