Day 10- Sonica Hans

information about her and her possible whereabouts ever since. This episode is about a missing person and so does not contain any descriptions of violence, but listener discretion is advised. Bedford is a market town which is located in Bedfordshire, around twenty five miles from Cambridge and around forty six miles from London. It's a relatively smar with a population of around one hundred and six thousand people. It's known for the Great Ooze River which flows through its center

and several bridges that cross it. In twenty twelve, thirty five year old Suneka Hands lived in a flat at Priory Court in the center of town. She was living with her sister, Menisha and Manisha's husband at that time. Sineka and her sister Menisha were originally from India, where their mother still lived, but they had relocated to the area of Bedford. Sineka was known to be a friendly

and reliable person who was close to her family. She had been working a job at McDonald's and was just getting on with her life as far as those that knew her were aware. Christmas twenty twelve came around and on the twenty sixth, on Boxing Day, Sineka had spent the day in the flat with her sister and brother

in law, as well as running some errands. At around eleven forty a m. That morning, Sneka had left the flat to go to the local Tesco Metro supermarket on Midland Road, just a stone's throw from where she lived. It was known that at that point she had bought a bottle of vodka and some food. This was later confirmed on CCTV from the Tesco. After buying these items, she returned back home. At around one thirty pm that afternoon, Sineka told her sister that she was going to nip

out again into the shops. She asked Minisha if she wanted anything while she was out, and Minisha said she was okay and didn't need anything. Sineka indicated that she wouldn't belong and would be back soon. Some reporting indicates that when Sneka left the flat that day she was with a friend, but not all reporting states this. Sineka left the flat and as far as Menisia knew, she was popping to the shop for something she might have forgotten and would be back soon. This, however, was not

what happened that day. Sineka never returned to the flat and didn't contact her sister. This was extremely unusual, as Sneka was very reliable and there was no reason to believe that she had gone anywhere other than where she said she was going to go. If she had just nipped to the shops, where was she and why had she not returned? Minishia was worried about her sister, and she reported her missing to the police. Sneka was a thirty five year old woman who of course could go

wherever she wanted. However, the fact that she hadn't returned back to the place where she was living was strange. She had only nipped out to get something from the shop. She hadn't taken things with her to be gone for a long time. Police began looking into the missing person report and found what she had last been seen wearing. They were looking for someone who was five feet three inches tall with long black hair which had been dyed

dark brown. She left the home wearing red trousers or leggings, a black jumper which was thygh length, and a dark blue jacket. Police hope that by issuing this description to the public, someone would remember seeing her that day. It was Boxing day, which meant that more people may have been out and about visiting family and friends or shopping. There was the possibility that someone may have recognized her.

Police were able to track down CCTV from the Tesco supermarket earlier on in the day to establish what she looked like on that day that she went missing. They also worked on trying to find any other CCTV of Suneka walking around Bedford Town Center that day. If they could figure out her route, then they might be able to track down where she had gone. CCTV was found of a matching Sineka's description at around two pm, about

half an hour after she had left home. This person was seen visiting a shop near the Swan Hotel in the Embankment area of the town. This was located next to the Great Ooze River This was very much of interest to the police, and while they had not been able to say for certain that this was Sineka, it gave them a new lead. Officers began searches of the local area and police divers searched the Great Ooze River, given that the CCTV image of this person who matched

the description was seen close to it. Despite these extensive searches of the local area and the river, no sign of Sineka has been found. It was as though she left her home and vanished completely. Police made appeals in the months and years following her disappear apearance, and each time they hoped that something would strike a chord with the public and someone would remember something crucial. Bedfordshire Police also made some financial inquiries to see if this would

yield any leeds. It unfortunately did not, and Sineka did not make any contact with anybody she knew during this time. In the years that followed, Sneka's case has been highlighted, particularly during the festive season, as this was the time

of year that she disappeared. This is always helpful. However, there has not been much more information released about the case or any updates that there might be In twenty twenty one, police released two new images of Sineka once again to help anyone who might have seen her come forward. Sineka's family have had to live with her disappearance for these years, and in twenty twenty two, on the ten year anniversary of her disappearance, Manisha spoke to the press

about this. She said, celebrations have never been the same and my sister's presence has always been missed. I have never given up hope and I never ever will. I will continue to pray she returns to us safely. Sneka's mom passed away just a year after her disappearance and so she didn't receive the answers that she's so needed. Bedfordshire Police have continued to appeal for information and have been dedicated to finding out where Sneka is despite the

lack of information and evidence available. Detective Inspector Catherine Rivers from the Forces Missing Persons Investigation Team said, as we celebrate this festive season, it's important to remember there are families who have lost those who are missing. On the tenth anniversary of Sneka's disappearance, her family has decided to issue a heartfelt statement that will strike a card with many people here in Bedfordshire and in the hope that

someone who knows something will come forward. We will never close a missing person case and will follow any new lines of inquiry to locate Sineka or establish what has happened. Detective Chief Inspector Julia Everett, who had been reviewing the case, has also stated Sneka's behavior in just disappearing is totally out of character for her. She was a reliable employee at MacDonald's and no one has any concrete reason why she would disappear or harm herself or be harmed by

someone else. If you have information about Sneka, however small or insignificant you think it is, please call us. Don't leave it to someone else or assume it's not important. It's possible that Sineka is perfectly well but decided to leave her life in Bedford behind, preferring not to tell people where she is. We can respect that decision and

those details can be kept confidential to the police. So if you know where she is, or Sneka herself sees our appeal, please just phone us direct or drop into your nearest police station and let us know you're Okay. Given the last potential sighting of her near the swan, it's possible she may have fallen in the water, but

we have to keep an open mind. We're revisiting the case because things do change all the time, new advances in technology, new information, or some tiny detail we may have missed that can be revealed with a fresh look or what we know. If you know anything about Sneka Hans's disappearance, then please contact Bedfordshire Police online or by calling one oh one quoting MPC forward slash four six five forward slash one two. I will leave the link

in the show notes. Thank you for listening to today's episode. Listen in to day eleven, where we will cover another missing or unidentified person case. If you'd like to support the podcast further, then you can on Patreon and contribute to exclusive polls to get extra bonus episodes every month. You can also get act a new episodes early in ad free. You can use the link in the show notes to visit Patreon and see what we offer. You can also support us by reviewing the podcast wherever you listen,

including Spotify, and also just share the episodes. You can subscribe on YouTube and follow us on social media. As always, I'm Caprice and this has been unseen