The body of a seven-year-old girl who went missing from Elavur in Kollam has been recovered by divers from the Ithikara river that flows near her home.
Devananda (Ponnu)’s body was found floating near the bushes by the search party on Friday morning.
The child went missing on Thursday morning when her mother was washing clothes outside the house. Her mother Dhanya said that she had instructed Devananda to stay indoors and keep an eye on her three-month-old brother who was asleep. When Dhanya returned from her chores, she found the front door open and the girl missing. The mother alerted the neighbours, who conducted a search for the girl in nearby area before informing the police.
Devananda’s father Pradeep Kumar, who works abroad, reached Kollam on Friday morning.
Police had launched an intensive search with a 50-member special investigation team, including cyber-experts, to track the child. Fire and safety team, diving experts and dog squad had joined the search party on Thursday, but the girl could not be traced. Taking into account the possibility of kidnapping, vehicle checks were carried out; all major roads, railway stations and bus stands in the Kollam district were put under surveillance.
Primary assumption of the police is that the girl must have slipped into water when she ventured out of her home on Thursday. She was found wearing the same clothes she had worn when last seen. Her body has been taken to Medical College Hospital in Thiruvananthapuram for autopsy.
