Three minor girls who went missing from their Vasai home still untraceable

Three minor girls who went missing from their Vasai home late on January 2 are yet to be traced by police. Despite being captured on CCTV cameras at Borivali railway station with two boys, their whereabouts remain unknown, causing anxiety for their parents

Mumbai: Three minor girls who went missing from their Vasai home late on January 2 are yet to be traced by police. Despite being captured on CCTV cameras at Borivali railway station with two boys, their whereabouts remain unknown, causing anxiety for their parents.

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According to the Manikpur police, the two boys, employed by the father of two of the missing girls at his cattle shed, were seen in the footage along with the girls. Raju Mane, senior police inspector of Manikpur police station said that after they registered a case of kidnapping under section 360 of the Indian Penal Code, they prepared four teams to scan through the CCTV footage across the region and railway stations.

With assistance from the Government Railway Police, police identified the girls, aged 13, 15, and 16, boarding a Virar-bound train at Borivali station around 5pm on Wednesday. While one girl was seen getting off at Vasai station briefly, she rejoined the group as they continued towards Virar. However, they were not seen getting off the train at Virar, said a police officer, “There is a possibility that they continued towards Mumbai by the same train,” said Mane.

The girls’ father, engaged in milk distribution and currently in Goa, was unaware of their disappearance. The police said they questioned the parents. “The parents said that there was no problem at home or school and no cash or valuables from the house were missing. We are going through CCTV footage of all railway stations in and around Mumbai,” said Mane. He added that since none of the five own a mobile phone, they are relying on informers and CCTV cameras to locate the girls.

The mother of the two girls, a teacher, reported seeing the girls sleeping in their room around 12:30am on Wednesday. At 5:30am, she discovered their absence and an open back door. The domestic help, originally from Ratnagiri district, had joined the household a few months ago, according to the mother.