The CCTV system installed at the railway station here recently helped the police act fast in tracing the three schoolchildren within hours after they were reported missing by their parents.
The children, all aged around 11 years, were seen boarding the Hyderabad-bound Godavari Express. On the basis of footage from the cameras, the police ruled out the possibility of kidnap. After roaming in front of the station without anyone accompanying them, the trio, studying in Std VI in a local school, boarded a train to Rajahmundry on Wednesday.
On being alerted by the city police, the Rajahmundry police checked the train on arrival and took the girls with them. They informed the girls' parents through the Fourth Town police. The three girls were brought here on Thursday morning.
The children told the police that they had left the school because of the fear of being scolded for their poor performance in studies. The books of one of the girls were found at the railway station leading to the suspicion earlier that they might have been kidnapped.
Commissioner of Police J. Purnachandra Rao visited the Fourth Town police station and expressed satisfaction over the prompt response to the complaint by his colleagues.
With the recent installation of CCTV cameras at the railway station providing vital clues in tracing the missing children, Mr. Purnachandra Rao asked managements of all schools and others to install CCTV cameras.
He also interacted with the children and advised them to focus on their studies.
