Karamat Qayoom
Baramulla: Four minor Rohingya girls, who were rescued from a human trafficking module six months ago, have mysteriously gone missing from the Children-cum-Shelter Home in Kanispora, Baramulla. The disappearance has raised serious concerns about the security and oversight of shelter homes meant to protect vulnerable children.
According to sources, the police have registered an FIR No 9/2025 under Section 137(2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) in police station Baramaulla J&K UT under FIR and have launched an investigation into the matter. The authorities are actively reviewing CCTV footage and joining various threads to ascertain how the girls managed to escape or were taken from the facility.
The shelter home, run under the Integrated Child Protection Scheme (ICPS),is headed by District Social Welfare Officer who is acting as the District Child Protection Officer Baramulla J&K UT, is specifically designed to assist and rehabilitate children in need of care and protection, including juveniles in conflict with the law. However, this latest incident has exposed possible lapses in security and management.
The three missing girls were among four minors rescued in a major anti-human trafficking operation in Baramulla six months ago. Acting on intelligence, Baramulla police had dismantled a trafficking network operating in the Ushkura area. During the raid, conducted in the presence of a Magistrate and lady police officers, three minor Rohingya girls were rescued from the house of Shakeel Ahmad Bhat, a resident of Ushkura.
During interrogation, Bhat confessed to having sold another minor girl to Mehraj Ahmad Tantray, a resident of Kanlibagh. A subsequent police raid at Tantray’s residence led to the rescue of the fourth victim. Both Bhat and Tantray were arrested, and efforts were launched to track down others involved in the trafficking ring.
Later, the four minor girls were handed Children-cum-Shelter for care and protection, however, they went missing under mysterious circumstances.
Despite these arrests, the mysterious disappearance of the three survivors from the shelter home has raised alarming questions. Were they abducted, coerced, or did they escape under pressure? The circumstances surrounding their vanishing remain unclear, leaving law enforcement and child welfare authorities scrambling for answers.
Sources said that CCTV cameras installed in the home failed to show how the girls disappeared.The disappearance of the four Rohingya girls from the Children-cum-Shelter Home in Kanispora, Baramulla, has exposed serious lapses in security.
A key question arises: Where was the Superintendent of home and where was the warden of this home , according to Sources nobody from senior Officials are staying there.Onther kee question arises that where was the security guards on duty during the night? If they were present, who were on duty during the night and how did the girls manage to escape undetected? The failure of CCTV cameras to capture any footage of their disappearance only deepens suspicions of negligence or possible collusion.
Furthermore, the role of the private security in-charge, who was supposed to oversee the safety of the shelter, remains questionable. Was he absent, or did he fail to act on potential warning signs? Such lapses not only endanger vulnerable children but also erode trust in institutions meant to protect them. Authorities must thoroughly investigate these security failures to prevent future incidents and ensure accountability.
This disturbing incident underscores the urgent need for stricter oversight, heightened security measures, and accountability within institutions meant to safeguard rescued children. Authorities have vowed to intensify the investigation and bring those responsible to justice.
Meanwhile, the search for the missing girls continues, as the police appeal for any information that could lead to their safe recovery.
Supritendent of Children-cum-Shelter Home in Kanispora, Neetu Bali confirmed that four girls went missing and they have reported it to police station Baramulla and investigation is going on.
A non-local boy has also gone missing from Palash Rebon Sopore and his whereabouts are still unknown.