Ranchi, July 9: Three girls, all around nine years old, allegedly ran away from the hostel of MB Public School near Bundu Toll Plaza in Jharkhand on Wednesday morning, claiming they feared punishment for not completing their homework. The children were later traced safely in a nearby village after walking nearly seven kilometres, police said.
The girls, including a Class III student and two younger classmates, allegedly took the key to the hostel’s main gate from an office table, unlocked the gate and left the campus in the early hours of the day.
Following reports of their disappearance, police, school authorities and family members launched a search operation. The girls were eventually located in Dalkidih village, where one of them resides, bringing relief to their families.
School Director Abbu Ali Abbas said the security guard assigned to the hostel was on leave due to a family emergency, while the gate keys had been kept on an office desk.
“The security guard on duty that night was on leave for family reasons. The gate was locked, and the keys were kept on the office desk. It is suspected that the girls took the keys, opened the gate and left,” Abbas said.
According to police, the girls told authorities they had been given a heavy homework load and feared being scolded or beaten if they failed to complete it.
“We were given a lot of homework every day and feared being beaten if we did not complete it. That is why we decided to leave the hostel,” the girls told authorities.
Bundu DSP Om Prakash and Station In-charge Jaideep Toppo said CCTV footage showed the girls leaving the hostel gate at around 4:05 a.m. Investigators tracked their movements through multiple CCTV cameras installed along the route before locating them safely.
“CCTV footage showed the three girls leaving the hostel gate at 4:05 a.m. Their movements were traced through CCTV cameras installed along the route before they were found safe,” the officers said.
Police have launched an investigation into the circumstances surrounding the incident.
