Image of the Baripada railway station, used for illustration purposes.

BARIPADA: A four-and-a-half-year-old girl who went missing from outside her house in Odisha’s Baripada town was rescued nearly 20 hours later on Monday morning, bringing relief to her family. Police have detained an unidentified man in connection with the incident.

The man was allegedly spotted by local residents while leaving the child behind her house. The residents caught him and handed him over to the police.

According to reports, the girl went missing on Sunday from Jamunadeipur in Ward No. 18 of Baripada Municipality in Mayurbhanj district, where her parents live in a rented house.

The child had returned from tuition and was playing near a heap of sand in front of her house. Around 11 am, her mother went inside to cook. When she returned, she found her daughter missing.

Family members searched the neighbourhood but failed to trace the child. Her mother subsequently lodged a written complaint at Bhanjpur police station.

Acting on the complaint, police formed three teams to search for the missing girl and launched an investigation into the circumstances surrounding her disappearance.

The search ended on Monday morning when local residents spotted the unidentified man allegedly leaving the child behind her house. They caught him and alerted the girl’s mother before handing him over to the police.

Police have detained the man and are questioning him to establish his identity, whereabouts and alleged role in the incident. Investigators are also trying to ascertain where the child was taken during the period she remained missing and what prompted the man to bring her back.

Further investigation was underway.

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