Vijayawada: Happy ending to missing girl's saga

Vijayawada: It is an emotional reunion for 17-year-old K Bhavani with her biological parents after a gap of 13 years. A post in Facebook helped Bhavani, who went missing in Hyderabad long ago, reunite with her parents.

As a solutin to dispute between her adopted and birth parents over her custody, Bhavani said both of them are very dear to her and she would stay for two weeks with her adopted parents and two weeks with her biological parents.

As already reported in these columns, Bhavani went missing in Hyderabad when she was just four-year-old. She was adopted by a couple, who later moved to Vijayawada from Hyderabad. Bhavani's parents and adopted parents lived in Hyderabad when she

went missing. Later, her parents moved to their native district of Srikakulam and her adopted parents to Vijayawada. The biological parents came to Vijayawada and met their daughter. It was a happy and joyous occasion for daughter and parents. The joy of Bhavani's parents, Kodipetla Madhava Rao and Varalakshmi, knew no bounds.

Jeeva Ratnam and Jayamma, who are native of Vijayawada, and Bhavani's parents used to live in the same colony in Hyderabad. They took the girl found crying on the road under their protection. They tried in vain to trace her parents. The girl studied up to Intermediate and recently decided to work in an office being managed by a real estate consultant Mohan Vamsi.

Mohan Vamsi came to know about the background of Bhavani and decided to trace her parents. With help of Facebook, he recently contacted her brothers Gopal and Santosh and establoished that Bhavani is their sister and her parents are Madhava Rao and Varalakshmi of Cheepurupalli in Srikakulam district.

The parents came to Vijayawada on Sunday and were overjoyed to see their daughter after the gap of 13 years. But the adopted parents demanded that Bhavani's biological parents produce proof to establish she is their daughter. They also demanded DNA test.

Both of them approached Patamata police and sought their help. Patamata Circle Inspector R Suresh Reddy persuaded the adopted parents to let Bhavani go along with her parents.

The police said there was a resemblance between her and brothers Gopal and Santosh. Her adopted parents said they had cared for Bhavan on a par with her two daughters. She can come to Vijayawada and stay with them as long she wanted, Jeevan Ratnam said.