Search launched after 10 children flee shelter home in Muzaffarpur

Patna: Ten boys aged between 10 and 12 years escaped from the Narauli Children’s Shelter Home in Muzaffarpur district in the early hours of Monday, triggering a search operation by the police and district administration.Soon after receiving information about the incident, police and administrative officials reached the shelter home and launched efforts to trace the missing children.SSP Kantesh Kumar Mishra said CCTV footage from the shelter home indicated that the children escaped on their own and there was no evidence of outside involvement.“The children broke open the backside window grill, which was loose, on the first floor, after which they scaled the boundary wall and escaped towards the main road,” he said.“Most of the boys are reported to be deaf and mute, with some mentally challenged. They escaped together around 1.30am, and the matter came to light in the morning when information was received around 8am. As of now, there is no trace of any of the missing children,” the SSP said.He added that efforts were underway to locate the children and ascertain the reasons behind their escape.The SSP has constituted a special team under the SDPO (east) to investigate the incident and trace the children.The superintendent of the shelter home lodged a complaint at Musahri police station. According to sources, around 46 children are housed at the facility. The shelter home has 10 home guards, all of whom are deployed at the main gate.SDPO (east) Tushar Kumar visited the shelter home and carried out an inspection. Police personnel and local administration officials are camping at the spot. Other children staying at the shelter home, along with staff members, are also being questioned.Police are examining CCTV footage from nearby areas to track the movement of the missing boys.