Kakinada: A pet dog fitted with a GPS tracker by police to aid the search for a missing three-year-old girl died on Saturday, dealing a setback to rescue efforts in Ch Agraharam village under Tuni rural mandal.
Missing Girl and the Dog
The girl, Jnaneswari, has been missing since June 6. The dog, which had accompanied her on the day she went missing, returned alone after three days. Hoping it could lead them to the child, police fitted a GPS tracker on the dog on Friday.
The animal reportedly roamed nearly 10 km before returning on Saturday in a weakened condition. It had not eaten for a day and was behaving abnormally and aggressively. It later died, further complicating the search operation.
Police Investigation
Police suspect the dog may have died due to a viral infection but have ordered a postmortem to rule out foul play.
Search Operations Underway
Jnaneswari, daughter of Sunkara Ganesh and Bhavani, lives with her parents, who work as caretakers of a 50-acre oil palm farm in the village. Over 400 personnel, including police, SDRF teams, forest staff, and special units, are involved in the search operation. Drones are being used and footage from 38 CCTV cameras has been examined.
Deputy Chief Minister Pawan Kalyan has reviewed the incident multiple times and spoken to Kakinada district police officials. He has suggested deploying additional teams, including NDRF personnel, and intensifying searches in surrounding forest areas with the help of forest watchers and experts.
Despite extensive efforts, the child remains untraceable.
