Eight girls escape from govt-run observation home in Maharashtra's Ulhasnagar, 7 traced

The observation home in Ulhasnagar. Pic/Navneet Barhate

As many as eight teenage girls escaped from a government-run observation home in Ulhasnagar area of Thane district in Maharashtra on Wednesday midnight by breaking the iron bars of the window railings, the officials said.

The facility, managed by the Women and Child Welfare Department, is now under scrutiny following the incident.

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According to the Hill Line Police, the girls, aged 15 to 17, broke the window bars and fled by jumping out of the dormitory. The night patrol staff discovered broken nets and damaged railings, raising an alarm during the roll call, which revealed that eight girls were missing. The staff immediately informed their superiors, who alerted the police.

Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) Sachin Gore, Zone 4 (Ambarnath Division), formed special search teams to trace the girls and investigate the incident.

The teams conducting combing operations in the nearby areas, including bus stops, toll nakas, and railway stations, while nakabandi checkpoints were set up.

Seven of the eight girls were found at Ulhasnagar railway station, attempting to board local trains but were unable to do so as all services had ceased for the night.

The eighth girl, a 17-year-old, remains absconding, and a dedicated search operation is ongoing.

Preliminary questioning of the rescued girls revealed their dissatisfaction with conditions at the observation home, which reportedly led to their escape.

Meanwhile, police are interrogating the facility's administration and security staff, holding their negligence accountable for the lapse that enabled the escape. A FIR has been registered at the Hill Line police under the section of kidnapping since the 8th missing girl is a minor.