Kuruppampady, Kerala: In a challenging operation spanning nearly 4,000 kilometres by road, Kuruppampady police in Ernakulam district rescued a 13-year-old girl who had gone missing and traced her to a Naxal-affected area in Odisha.

The girl, the daughter of Odisha natives, was reported missing from Methala. Police traced her to Nabagochha village in Ganjam district of Odisha.

The girl’s parents lodged a complaint with Kuruppampady police on the evening of August 13 after she went missing. Police registered a case and searched nearby areas but initially found no leads.

During the investigation, police received information about a man named Keshav, who was working in Salem. Further inquiries revealed that the girl had befriended an Odisha native working at a company in Salem.

A police team travelled to Salem to investigate, but the girl could not be traced. The phone of the young man she was reportedly in contact with was switched off, bringing the investigation to a standstill.

Following directions from District Police Chief KS Sudarshan, a special team then travelled to Odisha. During the investigation there, police learned that the girl was staying with a young man named Alok in Nabagochha village in Ganjam district.

Midnight operation in Naxal-affected forest area

The police team reached Odisha on August 18 but soon learned that the area was Naxal-affected and that travelling there posed significant risks. Bhanjanagar police informed the team that entering the area in police vehicles during the daytime was not practical.

The next move was therefore made around midnight. Eight armed police officers, led by the SHO, accompanied the investigation team. The Kuruppampady team was also provided with weapons for protection.

The team travelled around 40 kilometres through a forest before stopping the vehicles about a kilometre from the suspected location around midnight. The officers then proceeded on foot in a single file through the forest.

Locating Alok’s house among five houses in the isolated area proved difficult. After identifying the house, police surrounded it. Some local residents woke up, and a brief argument broke out, but officers eventually located Alok and the girl.

Both were safely taken from the high-risk area to the Bhanjanagar police station. The team later returned to Kerala with the girl.

The investigation team comprised Sub-Inspector K.M. Abi and Senior Civil Police Officers N.P. Bindu, Arun K. Karunan and Rajith Ram.