diff --git a/app/Controllers/Abha.php b/app/Controllers/Abha.php
index dd4b476..9252c30 100644
--- a/app/Controllers/Abha.php
+++ b/app/Controllers/Abha.php
@@ -1680,12 +1680,14 @@ class Abha extends BaseController
     {
         $candidates = [
             $result['error_text'] ?? null,
+            is_string($result['error'] ?? null) ? $result['error'] : null,
             $result['message'] ?? null,
             $result['error']['message'] ?? null,
             $result['error']['description'] ?? null,
             $result['error']['code'] ?? null,
             $result['error']['error'] ?? null,
             $result['error']['error_description'] ?? null,
+            is_string($result['data']['error'] ?? null) ? $result['data']['error'] : null,
             $result['data']['message'] ?? null,
             $result['data']['error']['message'] ?? null,
             $result['data']['error']['description'] ?? null,
@@ -1711,6 +1713,9 @@ class Abha extends BaseController
         foreach ($candidates as $candidate) {
             if (is_string($candidate) && trim($candidate) !== '') {
                 $trimmed = trim($candidate);
+                if (stripos($trimmed, 'preferredAbhaAddress') !== false || (stripos($trimmed, 'Unknown column') !== false && stripos($trimmed, 'where clause') !== false)) {
+                    return 'ABHA Address does not exist or was not found in the ABDM registry.';
+                }
                 if (stripos($trimmed, 'loginHint') !== false && stripos($trimmed, 'invalid') !== false) {
                     return 'ABDM gateway rejected login hint: OTP verification by ABHA Address is not supported directly by ABDM. Please verify using the 14-digit ABHA Number or Find ABHA via Mobile.';
                 }
diff --git a/app/Libraries/Abdm/EAtriaBridgeConnector.php b/app/Libraries/Abdm/EAtriaBridgeConnector.php
index 1e4b617..f03b583 100644
--- a/app/Libraries/Abdm/EAtriaBridgeConnector.php
+++ b/app/Libraries/Abdm/EAtriaBridgeConnector.php
@@ -469,10 +469,49 @@ class EAtriaBridgeConnector implements AbdmConnectorInterface
             $ok = 0;
         }
 
-        if ($ok === 0 && empty($decoded['error_text'])) {
-            $errMsg = trim((string) ($decoded['message'] ?? $decoded['data']['message'] ?? $decoded['error']['message'] ?? (is_string($decoded['error'] ?? null) ? $decoded['error'] : '')));
-            if ($errMsg !== '') {
-                $decoded['error_text'] = $errMsg;
+        if ($ok === 0) {
+            $extractedErr = '';
+
+            // Check for specific rejection data inside data (e.g. loginHint, details)
+            if (isset($decoded['data']) && is_array($decoded['data'])) {
+                if (!empty($decoded['data']['loginHint'])) {
+                    $hint = trim((string) $decoded['data']['loginHint']);
+                    $extractedErr = 'ABDM gateway rejected login hint: ' . $hint . ' (ABHA Address or number not found)';
+                } elseif (!empty($decoded['data']['details'][0]['message'])) {
+                    $extractedErr = trim((string) $decoded['data']['details'][0]['message']);
+                } elseif (!empty($decoded['data']['message'])) {
+                    $extractedErr = trim((string) $decoded['data']['message']);
+                }
+            }
+
+            if ($extractedErr === '' && isset($decoded['error']) && is_array($decoded['error'])) {
+                if (!empty($decoded['error']['details'][0]['message'])) {
+                    $extractedErr = trim((string) $decoded['error']['details'][0]['message']);
+                } elseif (!empty($decoded['error']['message']) && $decoded['error']['message'] !== 'ABDM gateway returned an error.') {
+                    $extractedErr = trim((string) $decoded['error']['message']);
+                }
+            }
+
+            if ($extractedErr === '') {
+                $rawMsg = trim((string) ($decoded['message'] ?? $decoded['data']['message'] ?? $decoded['error']['message'] ?? (is_string($decoded['error'] ?? null) ? $decoded['error'] : '')));
+                if ($rawMsg !== '') {
+                    $extractedErr = $rawMsg;
+                }
+            }
+
+            // Normalise technical MySQL database errors from the bridge when an ABHA is not found
+            if (stripos($extractedErr, 'preferredAbhaAddress') !== false ||
+                (stripos($extractedErr, 'Unknown column') !== false && stripos($extractedErr, 'where clause') !== false)) {
+                $targetVal = (string) ($body['value'] ?? $body['abha_address'] ?? $body['abha_id'] ?? '');
+                $decoded['raw_bridge_error'] = $extractedErr;
+                $extractedErr = 'ABHA Address does not exist or was not found in ABDM registry' . ($targetVal !== '' ? ' (' . $targetVal . ')' : '');
+            } elseif (stripos($extractedErr, 'Invalid Login Hint') !== false && stripos($extractedErr, 'ABHA Address') === false) {
+                $targetVal = (string) ($body['value'] ?? $body['abha_address'] ?? $body['abha_id'] ?? '');
+                $extractedErr = 'ABHA Address does not exist or was not found in ABDM registry' . ($targetVal !== '' ? ' (' . $targetVal . ')' : '');
+            }
+
+            if ($extractedErr !== '') {
+                $decoded['error_text'] = $extractedErr;
             }
         }
         $logErr = $ok === 0 ? (string) ($decoded['error_text'] ?? $decoded['message'] ?? '') : '';
diff --git a/tests/unit/Abdm/AbhaOtpErrorHandlingTest.php b/tests/unit/Abdm/AbhaOtpErrorHandlingTest.php
index 6932cc1..b41ff0d 100644
--- a/tests/unit/Abdm/AbhaOtpErrorHandlingTest.php
+++ b/tests/unit/Abdm/AbhaOtpErrorHandlingTest.php
@@ -85,6 +85,18 @@ final class AbhaOtpErrorHandlingTest extends CIUnitTestCase
         $this->assertStringNotContainsString('ABDM gateway returned an error.', $result);
     }
 
+    public function testExtractBridgeErrorTextNormalizesUnknownColumnPreferredAbhaAddress(): void
+    {
+        $payload = [
+            'ok' => 0,
+            'error' => "Unknown column 'preferredAbhaAddress' in 'where clause'",
+            'request_id' => 'REQ-20261001170423-8270515b',
+        ];
+
+        $result = $this->extractMethod->invoke($this->controller, $payload, 'ABHA validation failed');
+        $this->assertStringContainsString('ABHA Address does not exist or was not found in the ABDM registry', $result);
+    }
+
     public function testExtractBridgeErrorTextPreservesGenericWhenNoFieldErrors(): void
     {
         $payload = [
@@ -101,3 +113,4 @@ final class AbhaOtpErrorHandlingTest extends CIUnitTestCase
         $this->assertSame('ABDM gateway returned an error.', $result);
     }
 }
+