Missing kids baffle Cyberabad police, number of girls missing more than boys
Hyderabad: On the evening of January 6, one-and-a-half-year-old Varun was playing with his elder sister Anita in front of their house at Narsingi. His parents were confident that the eight-year-old Anita would take care of little brother Varun.
After a while, when their mother called them to come inside, there were no response. Both kids were missing. After many hours of search, at around midnight, Anita was traced at Sun City by the police; but Varun was still missing. Anita told the police that some unknown person had kidnapped them, and had left her on the road.
“My boy is still missing. We do not know what to do. All we are doing is trusting the police and praying,” said V. Venkatesh, Varun’s father.
Nine-year-old Nikhil’s mother Padma was inconsolable after her son went missing 15 days ago from her house. Nikhil was mentally challenged, and Padma used to leave him at home in Raj Nagar Borabanda when she went for her job as a security officer in a private firm. However, the Cyberabad police traced the boy in Madhapur in two days.
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“I was starting to lose hope and beginning to think my son must have been harmed. But the cops traced him, and he was safe and sound,” said Ms Padma, adding that she did not have enough words to thank the Cyberabad police officials.
More than 1,000 children went missing in the last two years in Hyderabad city and outskirts. Police records say 70 per cent of the children were traced within the same year, but the rest are still missing. There are more than 400 pending cases over the last two years. Police data shows that the number of girls missing is more than boys. Cops have, ruled out the presence of any organised hum-an trafficking gang in city.
Malkajgiri DCP R. Rama Rajeswari, who leads Operation Smile that has traced more than 30 missing kids in a week, “We found kids in railway platforms, bus stations, roads, and religious places. Many had turned to begging and were in a worst condition,” she said.