The Kanchikacherla police registered a ‘Zero FIR’ on Wednesday following a missing person complaint lodged by a BC Welfare Hostel warden of Veerulapadu, which is located under the limits of Veerulapadu police station. The investigation was taken up immediately and the boy was traced within 24 hours.
According to Kanchikacharla sub-inspector G. Srihari Babu, warden Raavi Ravi Prasad on Wednesday night lodged a complaint with the nearest police station from his residence — Kanchikacherla police station — that one of the hostel inmates G. Dharma Teja (14) went missing.
Teja, a native of Rangapuram village in Veerulapadu, would go to school nearby and return by 5 p.m. every day. As he did not return to hostel on Wednesday evening, the hostel staff informed his parents and the warden. “The boy’s parents later visited the hostel warden’s house in Kanchikacherla and decided to approach the police. The warden told parents that it might get late by the time they reach Veerulapadu and visited nearby Kanchikacherla police station. We immediately lodged Zero FIR and sent search teams, including one from Veerulapadu station, for the boy,” Mr. Srihari told The Hindu .
The boy was later traced in Miryalaguda in Telangana, where his relatives stay, and had been handed over to parents. The case will be transferred to Veerulapadu station, he said.
“Such FIRs were registered earlier, but only due to confusion over jurisdiction. This is the first case in which Zero FIR was registered for quick action. Soon after filing the FIR, we should also conduct basic inquiry and act as per the situation,” Mr. Srihari said. Both the stations are about 20 km apart.
In wake of ‘Disha’ murder case in Hyderabad, DGP D. Gautam Sawang recently ordered all the police stations to file Zero FIRs when needed and also warned action against those who defy the rule citing jurisdiction.
