Kochi:  A frantic search is under way in Kerala after a three-year-old girl vanished while travelling on a private bus from Thiruvankulam to Aluva of Ernakulam district with her mother on Monday evening.

According to the complaint lodged at Aluva East police station, the mother noticed her daughter missing shortly after the vehicle reached the busy Aluva Market stop at roughly 7 pm. Fellow passengers reported a brief surge of crowding near the rear exit as commuters disembarked, but no one recalls seeing the child leave the bus.

Police have formed multiple teams to examine CCTV footage from bus stops along the route, canvass nearby shops and auto-rickshaw stands, and question the driver, conductor and passengers. Canine squads and child-protection officers have also been deployed. Investigators have alerted all district control rooms and circulated the child’s photograph to inter-state agencies.

“We are treating this as a suspected abduction until evidence proves otherwise,” Aluva Deputy Superintendent of Police C Rajasekhar told media. “Every minute is critical when a young child is missing.”

The girl is described as 90 cm tall, wearing a pink frock with white polka dots and blue sandals.

Kerala State Commission for Protection of Child Rights has sought an immediate status report, while the Childline helpline has activated volunteer networks in Ernakulam district. Local residents have begun sharing the child’s photo across social media platforms to widen the search.

Police appealed to bus operators to review security protocols, noting that peak-hour congestion often leaves room for distraction-based abductions. Further updates will follow as the investigation progresses. Authorities urge anyone with information to call Aluva East police on 112 or 0484-260-3333.