Lokmat News Network
Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar
The Vidyadeep Girls’ Correction Home in Cantonment on Monday, nine minor girls armed with glass shards, knives, and rods escaped after smashing lights, vandalising CCTV cameras, and injuring themselves. The escape turned the city streets into a chase scene stretching from Cantonment to Bhagwan Mahaveer Chowk (Baba Chowk). Seven were caught by late evening, while two remained missing.
The girls, known for repeated defiance, had reportedly demanded relocation an approval only the Child Welfare Committee (CWC) can authorise. Just hours before an expected CWC visit, the group turned violent around 11.30 am, slashing their hands, arming themselves, and fleeing barefoot through public areas.
Attack on facility, public chaos
Before fleeing, they wrecked CCTV cameras and armed themselves with rods, stones, and broken glass to resist capture. Police commissioner Pravin Pawar deployed four teams, including the Damini Squad and Bharosa Cell. Five were nabbed near the court, and two at the railway station.
Medical checkups, probe initiated
The girls were medically examined at GMCH, where glass shards and nails were recovered from their clothes. Police summoned families and presented the girls before the CWC. Officers PI Nirmala Pardeshi, Geeta Bagwade, and Praveena Yadav launched a probe into the facility’s security lapses. Assistant inspector Vivek Jadhav said all 80 residents were questioned.
Deep-rooted distress
Police revealed five of the girls were earlier involved in elopement cases and refused to return home, while two had fled over family disputes. One is undergoing psychiatric care. The same group had attempted an escape two days earlier.
Broken homes, broken trust
Of the seven caught, only four were accepted back by their families. The rest were transferred to a Satara-based government shelter. Even during counseling, three girls refused to speak or even look at their parents—stunning police with their hostility.