In a span of 24 hours, four underage girls and two boys disappeared from various locations within Navi Mumbai township in Maharashtra's Thane district. Authorities reported on Tuesday that one of them was subsequently located.
The minors, in the age group of 12 to 15, went missing between December 3 and 4, they said. Out of the six children, a 12-year-old boy, who went missing from Koparkhairne area on Monday, was later traced to Thane railway station and reunited with his family, an official said.
Providing information on additional cases, the authorities explained that a 13-year-old girl from the Kalamboli area attended a birthday celebration for a classmate on Sunday but did not return. In a separate incident, a 14-year-old girl from Panvel participated in a gathering at her friend's residence on Sunday and failed to return home.
In Kamothe area, a girl aged 12 went missing after going out of her house on Monday. Another 13-year-old girl left her house in Rabale area for school on Monday and did not return.
Besides, a 13-year-old boy from Rabale went to a public toilet in the early hours of Monday and was untraceable since then, the official said. Offences of kidnapping have been registered by the police stations concerned and efforts were on to trace the children, he said.