In a dramatic incident that unfolded in Sambalpur, three minor students managed to escape from a government-run girls' hostel, triggering an intensive overnight police search operation across the district.
The Great Escape and Intensive Search
Three determined schoolgirls, including two Class IX students and one Class X student, successfully fled from their government hostel on Sunday afternoon around 3:30 PM. The bold escape went unnoticed until the evening assembly approximately two hours later, when hostel authorities realized the teenagers were missing.
Tanuja Pahule, the hostel matron, revealed that "they fled from the back side of the hostel" without being detected. The institution, which accommodates approximately 100 students from Classes VIII to X, became the center of an immediate security concern as authorities scrambled to locate the missing minors.
Police Operation and Dramatic Recovery
After discovering the girls' absence, hostel management conducted preliminary searches within the premises and surrounding areas before alerting the families and formally lodging a missing complaint at Govindpur police station around 9 PM.
Sub-divisional police officer Pradeep Kumar Dash mobilized immediate action, deploying police teams from Govindpur, Mahulpali, and Kuchinda stations. The officers worked through the night, examining CCTV footage from multiple locations and conducting extensive ground searches.
The breakthrough came at 8:30 AM on Monday morning when the trio was located at a bus station approximately 40 kilometers away from the hostel. Police found the girls with their luggage, reportedly preparing to board a bus to leave the district entirely.
Investigation and Underlying Motives
Authorities are currently investigating the precise reasons behind the dramatic escape attempt. Preliminary inquiries suggest the girls had been planning their departure carefully, leveraging their familiarity with the hostel's security arrangements and surrounding routes having stayed there since Class VIII.
Rajendra Behera, IIC of Govindpur police station, indicated that initial investigations point toward employment-seeking motives, though the exact reasons remain under scrutiny. The police suspect the girls had become reluctant to continue their stay at the government hostel facility.
The three students include two from Sambalpur district and one from Jharsuguda. Police procedures require that the girls' statements be recorded before a magistrate, followed by their presentation before the Child Welfare Committee (CWC) before being handed over to their families.
This incident has raised significant questions about security protocols at government-run hostels and the psychological well-being of students residing in such facilities, prompting authorities to review existing safety measures and student support systems.
