BHUBANESWAR: Days after a Bangladeshi minor escaped from a shelter home at Jatni levelling torture charges against the authorities, the Khurda Child Welfare Committee (CWC) shifted all its inmates to a short stay home in Bhubaneswar.
Khurda Collector Niranjan Sahu had directed the ADM and District Child Protection Officer (DCPO) to investigate into the allegations levelled by the boy. Accompanied by CWC members, the officials visited the shelter home, Asha Kiran, on Wednesday.
DCPO Banishree Patnaik said the decision to shift inmates was taken so that the children and shelter home authorities could be questioned separately. ''The minor children should not come under any form of influence while the probe is underway,'' she said.
There are 35 boys and 15 girls who were rescued from different places of the district and rehabilitated at Asha Kiran. On the other hand, authorities of Asha Kiran claimed to have received extortion messages from the NGO which had rescued the minor at Puri before handing him over to Puri CWC.
''Asha Kiran's owner was asked to pay a certain amount of money if he wanted the matter to be suppressed. On a written complaint by the owner, we have reported the matter to police,'' Patnaik added.
The child had initially escaped from his home and landed in Bhubaneswar in 2015. He was rescued from the City railway station and admitted to the shelter home. He again escaped on March 8 and travelled to Puri. Preliminary investigation revealed that the Bangladeshi minor had pre-planned his escape.
The repatriation process of the boy is at an advanced stage as the Bangladesh High Commission has already been informed about his escape and rescue, said sources.