Mumbai: Five inmates of the Dongri Children’s Home escaped on Saturday, using a ladder brought in by construction workers renovating the premises to scale the wall. Officials said the children’s room is being renovated, and a building is being constructed by the Public Works Department (PWD).
The children who escaped are aged between 12 and 16, and were in uniforms given by the home, they added. A public appeal has been made for information on their whereabouts, which can be given to the Dongri police station.
Senior PI Sandeep Bhagadkar, Dongri police station, said, “Of the five children who ran away from children’s home, one is a city resident while the rest are from other parts of the country. None have a criminal background. They were brought to the correction centre by a city-based NGO.”
Police said the home has submitted an application requesting their help in finding the absconding minors. “We’ve already formed teams to trace these children, who are keeping an eye on places where they could potentially be found. We’ll also go to their villages to check if they have returned home. We don’t know much about their families yet. They have been staying at the home for the two to three months.”
This isn’t the first instance of children escaping from the correction centre based in Umerkhadi, which has faced flak for not being able to provide basic facilities to juvenile offenders. Police sources said a departmental inquiry into the incident will be initiated by the children’s home.
