The seven children who broke out of the Gandhinagar Child protection home on Monday, October 25, visited Somnath via bus and then returned to Gandhinagar. The seven children were found by the police on Thursday, October 28, in an abandoned government house at Sector 21.
The seven kids had fled from the Home on Monday, 25 October morning. Once the news spread, the police launched an elaborate search operation, with SP Mayur Chavda instructing five teams to investigate the matter.
Manoj Bharwad, PI, Sector 21 police station, Gandhinagar, denies the story that the children visited Somnath. He says, “I personally do not feel that is possible. The children had no money; they approached random people for food. It is possible that maybe one or two of them visited the shrine, but I do not think it is possible that all of them travelled to Somnath.”
Over the last two months, 12 out of 16 children who were transferred to the Gandhinagar home from Ahmedabad have fled; only seven have been found. The frequent breakouts raise questions about the Child Protection Home management and environment, as the authorities continue to remain silent regarding the issue.