KOLLAM: A seven-year-old girl, who was talking to her mother and playing in the courtyard of their house at Elavur in Nedumankavu, went missing suddenly at 10am on Thursday. A search is on to find D Devanandha, daughter of Dhanya and Pradeep C, who is working in Oman.Devanandha was talking to Dhanya, who was washing clothes in the backyard of the house around 9.30am.
As her six-month-old boy was alone inside the house, Dhanya asked Devanandha to go inside and be with her. When Dhanya returned after 10 minutes, she found the front door of the house fully open and Devanandha missing.
Dhanya panicked and started looking for her inside the house and in the surroundings. Neighbours and local residents who came to know about the incident informed the police. Kannanalloor police came and searched for the girl in the area and also recorded the statements of the mother and local residents. Suspecting that she might have fallen into the nearby river while playing, Fire and Rescue Services personnel searched for her in it.
The police have not ruled out the possibility of the child being kidnapped. “The search has been intensified and we’ve passed the information to nearby police stations as well. We’re also examining the CCTV visuals within a 5-km radius of the house,” said a senior police officer at the Kannanalloor station. A social media campaign has begun to find the missing child.
Child rights commission registers case
A social media campaign has begun to find the missing child. Meanwhile, a fake news report started circulating on the social media, saying the child was found from a nearby temple. The police said action would be taken against those who circulated misinformation.The police are circulating Devanandha’s photo on all social media platforms. Anyone getting any information should contact Ph: 0474 2566366, 9497947265, 9497906800.
Meanwhile, the Commission for Protection of Child Rights has registered a suo motu case.Commission chairman P Suresh has also sought reports from the state police chief, general education director, district collector and district child protection officer in this regard.The commission observed that several news about child lifting and attempts were reported from across the state. It urged the police to maintain caution while dealing with child-missing cases and remarked that with police’s active intervention, several missing children were found.
The commission also directed the state police chief to deal with those who spread misinformation on social media under cyber laws.“Social media was awash with messages that the kid was found. Such messages can create confusion in the society and hence their creators should be held responsible for what they write,” the commission added.