PIONEER EDGE NEWS SERVICE | Dehradun
Dehradun has witnessed 97 cases of minors going missing in the past two months. According to police, several children left their homes without informing family members under the influence of social media and virtual platforms.
The Dehradun senior superintendent of police Ajai Singh said that police traced 87 minors from different districts of Uttarakhand, as well as Delhi, Mumbai, Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan and other states. In 62 cases, children left after disagreements with parents or due to being scolded. In 24 cases, minors left without informing families for outings or under social media influence, as per the SSP. He stated that in 11 cases, other individuals lured minors away.
“Police registered cases under kidnapping sections in these incidents and sent the accused to jail. Efforts are ongoing to trace 10 minors who remain missing,” he added. Singh informed that immediate cases are registered under kidnapping sections when a child is reported missing. Teams are deployed to locate the children and counseling is conducted with both minors and their families to address issues leading to such incidents. He stated that in one case, police contacted a missing girl from Patelnagar through a video call after locating her in Ludhiana.
She informed police that she had gone there to work and will return soon.
In another case from Premnagar a minor left home after being upset over not getting a phone recharge. Police continue to search for the remaining missing children, he added. The SSP also appealed to parents to maintain open communication with their children and remain sensitive to their concerns.
Police are making all possible efforts to trace missing minors but prevention requires cooperation from families to ensure children do not fall under undue influence of social media or other factors, he added.
