Puri: A minor girl, who had gone missing from Rourkela in 2012, was finally reunited with her family at the office of the Puri district Child Welfare Committee here, Thursday.
It was an emotional moment for Bipra Sahu and other members of his family as they found their beloved daughter after a gap of seven years.
“We had left all hopes to find our daughter. But the blessings of Lord Jagannath reunited us with our daughter after seven years,” Sahu said.
Sahu, a native of Purusottampur area of Ganjam district, had migrated to Rourkela around 30 years ago. He works as a vegetable vendor at Udit Nagar in the Steel City.
Sahu’s younger daughter had gone missing from Rourkela in November, 2012. After a frantic search, he had lodged a missing compliant in the local police station. However, police could not trace the minor girl.
The girl somehow reached Puri and she was rescued by the officials of the Childline while she was roaming suspiciously in the coastal city. The CWC had rehabilitated the girl in Nilachal Seva Pratisthan, a childcare home at Kanas.
Initially, the girl was unable to reveal details regarding her family and address. However, the constant efforts of the officials of CWC and district Child Protection Committee paid off and the girl was able to reveal the name of her native village.
Soon the CWC officials contacted their counterparts in Ganjam district and urged them to collects details regarding the girl’s family. Subsequently, they managed to contact the girl’s family in Rourkela.
“We were trying our best to find out the girl’s family. Our three years’ effort finally paid off. The girl reunited with her family Thursday,” said Subhakanta Dash, said an official of the district child protection committee.
Nilachal Seva Pratisthan superintendent Abhimanyu Sundaray said the girl had unsuccessfully attempted last year’s High School Certificate (HSC) examination. “She is now preparing for this year’s HSC examination. We have also provided her training for tailoring,” he added.