14-year-old schoolgirl helps Noida cops find missing child after overnight search

Noida: A 14-year-old girl living in a slum cluster here turned out to be an unlikely hero in reuniting a lost child with his family and bringing to end an overnight search by the Noida Police. The local police were informed around 9.30 pm on Wednesday that the two-and-a-half-year-old child living with his family in Gijhod village had gone missing, prompting the officials to launch a search.

Also read | Delhi schools urged to shut down if Covid-19 cases rise: DoE issues advisory

Over six hours later, the child was found from the slums in sector 14 in the care of Kashish Kumari, who had found him on the street near her residence around midnight, a police spokesperson said.

Police Commissioner Alok Singh has announced a special reward for the school-going "good samaritan" and declared a Rs 25,000 cash award for the police team involved in the child's search, the spokesperson said.

Deputy Commissioner of Police (Noida) Rajesh S said the incident had taken place under sector 24 police station limits after which two teams were formed under the supervision of ACP (Noida 2) Rajneesh Verma for the search.

“One team started analysing CCTV footage of the area while the other went around in search of the missing child and asking locals for any clue,” Rajesh said.

Also read | Haryana Govt to give free tablets to students of Classes 10 to 12 from May

"Around 1 am, police got a clue after the child was spotted in CCTV footage walking on a street. We saw in the footage that Kashish found the child and enquired with people to find out who his parents or guardians were," the officer said. "This was an act of an aware citizen which helped us find the child and reunite him with his family," he added.

In pursuance of the search, police reached the house of Kumari, a government school student, who was trying to put the child to sleep, he said. Rajesh said he has also announced a reward of Rs 25,000 for the team involved in the search and already honoured Kumari. The commissioner will also be honouring her, he added.