Garhwal Post Bureau
Dehradun, 7 May: Taking the complaints regarding some schoolchildren from Doiwala going missing after the school seriously and demonstrating promptness and sensitivity, the Dehradun Police have safely traced the six minor children. These six children had gone missing from the Doiwala area and they were traced by the Doon Police within hours of the complaint being lodged. All the children have been recovered safely from Haridwar Railway Station and later handed over to their families.
According to the police, parents from the Doiwala area informed the police last evening that their children, students of Classes VII and VIII at a school in Lal Tappad, had not returned home after school hours. The children, who are aged between 12 and 15 years, had reportedly gone missing soon after the school dispersed.
Taking the matter seriously, the SSP Dehradun, Pramendra Dobal immediately constituted separate police teams to trace the children. Police personnel examined footage from more than 400 CCTV cameras installed in and around the school and the adjoining areas. Simultaneously, extensive enquiries were conducted with the local residents. Neighbouring police stations were alerted and social media channels were also utilised to intensify the search operation.
After continuous search and inquiry through the night, the police team finally traced all the six children to Haridwar Railway Station. During the questioning, the children revealed that they had jointly planned a trip to Haridwar. They had even carried clothes from home in their school bags for the outing. After the school closed, the children travelled to Haridwar by bus and visited Har Ki Pauri and several other places in the city. As it became late in the night, they grew fearful of being reprimanded at home and reached the railway station, where they were waiting for a train to travel elsewhere.
Later, the officials of the Child Development Department also counselled the children following their recovery. Relieved family members expressed gratitude to the Uttarakhand Police and appreciated the efficiency and responsiveness shown by the Dehradun police in ensuring the safe return of all the children. Lal Tappad police chowki in-charge Aditya Saini and his team were also honoured by the villagers for tracing the children safely, while representatives of Majri village also felicitated Doiwala Kotwali in-charge Kamal Kumar Loonthi for the swift police action.
Besides this, the school management has also appealed to the parents not to ignore behavioural changes or activities of children at home and to remain vigilant about their routine and social interactions.
The Police have appealed to parents to maintain regular communication with their children, keep track of their activities, remain in constant touch with schools and immediately inform the police in case of any suspicious situation. Parents have also been advised to closely monitor children’s social media exposure and peer groups.
It may be recalled that the missing children were students of Himalayan Public School located at Fatehpur in Doiwala. According to information received, the school closed at around 1.30 p.m. yesterday and the children were expected to return home by the school bus. However, they did not board the bus after school hours. When the children failed to reach home, anxious family members began searching for them. The school administration also confirmed that the children had not boarded the bus, triggering panic among parents and prompting an immediate police search operation.
