Katihar: Two girls escaped from a government-run shelter home in Katihar city in Bihar in the early hours of Sunday, triggering panic among staff and raising renewed concerns over security arrangements at the facility.
District magistrate Ashutosh Dwivedi and superintendent of police Shikhar Chaudhary visited the shelter home soon after the incident and carried out an on-site inspection. Officials questioned staff members and reviewed the existing security infrastructure.
Police have registered a case at the local auxiliary police station and launched a search operation to trace the two girls. According to officials, one of the girls is from Haryana, while the other is believed to be from Araria district in Bihar.
Preliminary findings suggest that the girls escaped from the bathroom area around 3:30am by scaling a boundary wall estimated to be around 10 feet high. CCTV footage has reportedly captured the incident.
Officials said that despite security measures such as barbed wire installed atop the boundary walls and CCTV cameras placed at multiple points, such incidents have occurred repeatedly at the shelter home.
Records indicate that more than half a dozen cases of children escaping from the facility have been reported in the past. In earlier incidents, girls recovered from Patna had made serious allegations, including claims of exploitation and being administered intoxicating substances.
Following the latest escape, Rashmi Kunal, president of the Mahila Vikas Manch, called for a detailed investigation and informed the district administration. However, concerns have been raised over the pace and effectiveness of previous inquiries into similar incidents.
The recurrence of such cases has once again brought the shelter home’s security and oversight mechanisms under scrutiny.
Police officials said search operations are ongoing, with teams conducting raids to locate the missing girls.
Authorities have assured that all aspects of the incident, including possible lapses in supervision and security, will be examined as part of the investigation.
