Udupi Police Trace Boy Missing For 13 Years
This is the second major success for the team in a week. On Tuesday, they traced 16-year-old Ananthakrishna Prabhu, who had gone missing from Mundkur village in 2012, living in Bengaluru after 13 years.
Udupi: The special team of the Udupi police have located a boy with intellectual disabilities who disappeared from a Fit Institute and Adoption Centre in Malpe nearly 13 years ago. This is part of the police’s effort to trace children who have been missing for over 15 years.
This is the second major success for the team in a week. On Tuesday, they traced 16-year-old Ananthakrishna Prabhu, who had gone missing from Mundkur village in 2012, living in Bengaluru after 13 years.
The rescued twelve-year-old, with intellectual disabilities, had been residing at Sri Krishnanugraha Fit Institute and Adoption Centre at Vasundharanagar, Malpe. According to a complaint filed by the centre’s coordinator, Marina Elizabeth, on February 23, 2011, Santosh, who had gone to bed and was found missing the next morning. Following her complaint, Udupi Town Police registered a case.
The case was taken up by the special team formed by superintendent of police Hariram Shankar recently to trace children who went missing in the district over the past 15 years. During the investigation, the team came across various leads and found a boy named Bipin, staying at Vijetha Special School in Karkala since 2018. His facial features, estimated age, and mannerisms closely matched those of Santosh.
To confirm his identity, the investigators accompanied Marina Elizabeth and Shanti, a senior staff member who had worked at the Malpe institution when Santosh disappeared, to the Karkala school. After observing the boy’s features, expressions, and behaviour, both confirmed that he was indeed Santosh.
As the boy is with intellectual disabilities and unable to share details of his family or background, the Udupi District Child Welfare Committee has directed that he continue to stay at the Vijetha Special School until his parents or guardians are located.
The special investigation team included DySP Prabhu D.T., PSIs Sudarshan Dodamani (Brahmavar) and Eranna Shiragumpi (Udupi Town), HC Imran, HC Chetan, PC Santosh Devadiga, and PC Mallayya Hiremath.
