By Shiva Shankhar Mishra
Bara, Mar. 23: The number of children going missing in Bara district has soared in recent years. Police cite trafficking, love affairs and elopement as main reasons behind that.
According to the District Police Office, 82 girls have gone missing in the first eight months of the current fiscal year. Of these, the police have been able to locate 45 but status of 37 remains unknown, as per Gautam Mishra, Deputy Superintendent of the District Police Office.
Similarly, out of the total 126 missing girl complaints, 71 were found during the search campaign, while the whereabouts of another 55 are still unknown.
“The number of girls disappearing is alarmingly high as compared to boys. In the current fiscal year, we have recorded 10 cases of missing boys, out of which two were found. We are currently investigating to identify the whereabouts of the remaining boys,” added DSP Mishra. Moreover, in the last fiscal year, the police were able to locate 18 of the 25 boys who went missing.
According to the police officials, the cases of missing children has surged because guardians are not sufficiently monitoring their children. Besides, they are careless in reporting to police after their children go missing. Instead of reporting immediately, most parents file missing complaint after 15 to 20 days of disappearance, they added.