Siliguri: The Pradhan Nagar police have successfully brought home a 14-year-old boy who had reportedly gone missing since May 31, 2021.
The minor is a resident of Agamsingh Nagar in the Panchanoi area under the Pradhan Nagar Police Station’s jurisdiction. According to his guardians, they searched for the boy in all probable places for many days but failed to trace him anywhere. His mother eventually filed a ‘missing person’ complaint on 08.06.21 at Pradhan Nagar Police Station.
Assistant sub-inspector Mr. Raju Sarkar was entrusted with the case and he immediately began his investigation. The breakthrough came when the mother received a short call from her missing son who spoke from an unknown number saying he was somewhere in Kashmir. ASI Mr. Sarkar began tracking the mobile number and he could soon confirm that the call had come from a place under the Nawgan police station’s jurisdiction in Srinagar.
IC Pradhanagar Police Station quickly formed a team comprising ASI Mr. Raju Sarkar, ASI Mr. Nilam Swarnakar and, Constable Mr. Niladri Sarkar, and the team left for Kashmir on 21.06.21 along with a guardian of the missing boy.
The team first approached the Nawgan police in Srinagar, from where their probe took them to Kunzer in the trouble-torn Baramulla district. The missing boy was eventually found working in an ice factory. The team, along with the rescued boy, returned home safely to Siliguri on 05.07.21. He has been produced before the Child Welfare Committee (CWC), Darjeeling today on 07.07.21 after which the recovered boy has been handed over to his parents, as ordered by CWC Darjeeling.
During his interaction with the boy, ASI Mr. Sarkar learned that he had left home on his own and had boarded a train to Rangia in Assam. An unidentified person had then taken the boy to Gulsannagar in Srinagar, where he stayed in the house of a retired policeman for a few days before fleeing to Baramulla with some local youth to work in the ice factory where he was ultimately traced.
ASI Mr. Sarkar and his team have exhibited exemplary dedication to their duty as well as proved extremely courageous for venturing into a militant-infested area such as Baramulla. As outsiders, they could have become easy targets for elements always ready to disturb the peace. The investigation of the case was being closely monitored by Inspector-in-Charge Mr. Subasish Chaki of the Pradhan Nagar police station.
The boy’s family members have expressed immense gratitude to the Siliguri Metropolitan Police, and especially to ASI Mr. Raju Sarkar and his team of Pradhanagar Police Station, for solving the case in such a short time.
Our, Reporter in Chief
R. Manoj Kumar Sharma
Siliguri City, West Bengal
