4 girls escape from Chennai juvenile home, two rescued

Though the staff at the shelter claimed to have rescued two of the girls, the incident has cast a shadow over the administration of the home. 

According to officials, the four girls, aged between 15 and 17 years, scaled the walls of the home and escaped on Tuesday night. However, the staff noticed the four to be missing only the next morning. 

A staff at the home said, “We traced one girl to Villuppuram, while another was found loitering in Besant Nagar in the city. Both were brought back to the home. We are searching for the other two.”

Speaking to DTNEXT, Shivajayakumar, District Child Protection Officer (DCPO), Chennai, said they along with police were investigating the incident. “We held inquiries with the superintendent of the home. The facility can accommodate 300 children and has high walls besides CCTV surveillance,” he said. 

Meanwhile, the officials are yet to lodge a police complaint regarding the missing girls. 

A police official from Secretariat Colony police station (G5) said, “There is no official complaint yet and the shelter staff have informed us orally that they themselves were tracking the children.” 

He added that the police can look into the matter only if a complaint was lodged. 

The recurrence of such incidents has raised concerns among child rights activists. A Narayanan, an advocate and child rights activist, said, “This has become a routine at Kellys home. The juveniles in conflict with law would have not escaped, had there been proper education and counselling. Further, keeping them idle would be deleterious, as they would ruminate over committing crimes again paving the way for them to try and escape from the homes.”