Ludhiana: The Khanna police have successfully rescued four missing girls, including three minor sisters, within 24 hours of their disappearance. Following a swift, multi-state technical investigation, the Maloud police located the girls in Ambala, Haryana, and reunited them with their families.
Incident Details
The incident unfolded on Tuesday around 12:30 PM, when the four girls left their homes without informing their families. At approximately 8:30 PM that evening, the families alerted the police, expressing suspicion that the girls might have left with a male acquaintance who frequently visited their homes.
OTP Reveals Girls' Location
Under the supervision of SSP Darpan Ahluwalia, Payal DSP Harmanpreet Singh Cheema formed special teams to launch an immediate search. On Wednesday, investigators scanned local CCTV footage, which confirmed that the girls had initially left their village in a three-wheeler.
Using technical surveillance, the police traced the location of the suspected acquaintance to Ferozepur. Cops detained him for questioning, during which he revealed a mobile number used by one of the missing girls. Although the device was switched off, the breakthrough occurred when one of the girls used a bystander's phone to call the detained acquaintance to request a one-time password (OTP) for a new SIM card.
The Khanna police technical team immediately pinned the location of that bystander's phone to Ambala. Acting on this real-time intelligence, a police team dispatched to the site, where they found all four girls unharmed.
Police Response
The swift action by the police ensured the safe recovery of the girls. The families expressed gratitude to the Khanna police for their prompt and efficient handling of the case. The investigation is ongoing to determine if any criminal charges will be filed.
About the Author
Shariq Majeed is an Assistant Editor with the Punjab bureau of The Times of India and is based in Ludhiana. He reports on health, environment and climate related issues, civil administration, crime, legal affairs, politics, agriculture, and NRI affairs.
