Andhra Pradesh: Police continue search for missing toddler in Kakinada for 12th day
The minor girl went missing on June 6 from Ch Agraharam village in Kakinada district, prompting a massive search operation involving local police. Officials are currently probing all possible angles, such as abduction, an animal attack, and family-related disputes.
Andhra Pradesh: Police on Thursday continued the search for a missing two-year-old girl for the 12th consecutive day, with investigators probing all possible angles, such as abduction, an animal attack, and family-related disputes. The minor girl went missing on June 6 from Ch Agraharam village in Kakinada district, prompting a massive search operation involving local police, the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), dog squads, technical teams and officials from forest and other departments.
“We are examining every possibility, from abduction and an animal attack to family-related disputes, and are following up on every lead, however remote. Teams are continuing combing operations in the hills, forests, water bodies and surrounding areas,” the official told reporters late on Tuesday. According to police, the child had gone towards a cashew plantation near the village along with her pet dog. She was last seen near a fencing line bordering the plantation before disappearing. A villager who noticed the child, attempted to inform her parents, but was attacked by the dog when he approached. By the time family members and villagers reached the spot-about 35 minutes later-the child was missing, police said.
The official said teams searched the area immediately and later expanded operations to nearby hills. He said CCTV footage from routes surrounding the village was examined, while auto-rickshaw, van and transport operators were questioned to ascertain whether the child had been taken away in a vehicle. Officials analysed mobile telephone signal data and identified around 170 mobile numbers active in the area around the time of the incident.
Four teams are scrutinising those numbers and verifying the movements of people who were present before the incident but subsequently left the locality, he said. Police have surveyed all 470 houses in the village and questioned around 150 residents. Investigators are examining the movements of people in the area before and after the incident. Authorities are verifying the movements of seasonal workers and nomadic groups who visit the area during the cashew season.
A group that had reportedly camped nearby with dogs for a few days before the incident is also being traced and questioned, the official said. “There was suspicion regarding one individual initially. He was questioned separately by four different teams several times and gave the same version every time. We have not detained him or anyone else. There is no evidence linking him to the child’s disappearance,” the official said, rejecting speculation surrounding a resident.
Investigators are simultaneously examining the possibility of an animal attack. To verify that angle, police and forest officials recreated the circumstances under which the child went missing by placing a doll containing meat at the exact location where she was last seen around noon on June 6. Spy cameras and trap cameras have been installed to monitor whether any animal is attracted to the spot and carries away the bait. The official clarified that the exercise was a scientific reconstruction and should not be linked to superstitions or beliefs associated with Amavasya (no-moon day).
Residents have informed authorities that jackals, wild dogs, wild boars and pythons inhabit the forested hills spanning nearly 500 acres near the village and occasionally venture into nearby habitations. The official said police are examining the possibility of a python attack, as well. “If a python had swallowed the child, it would likely have remained in the vicinity for some time, as the reptiles generally do not move far or quickly after consuming prey. Forest department officials are independently assessing that possibility,” he added. The family’s pet dog has emerged as a key focus of the investigation. The animal went missing at the same time as the child and returned four days later in a distressed state. According to police, it appeared frightened, behaved aggressively, and even bit its owners after returning.
The dog, which was reportedly very attached to the child, was treated by veterinarians and later fitted with a GPS tracker. GPS data indicated that it had travelled nearly eight kilometres, largely along a route earlier identified by a police dog squad, the official said. Police re-searched all locations flagged through the tracking exercise but found no clue. The dog later died and underwent a post-mortem examination. Beyond the possibilities of abduction and an animal attack, investigators are examining whether financial disputes, personal rivalries or family-related issues played any role in the case.
A vehicle-related dispute involving the family about six months ago has already been investigated and ruled out, the official said. Authorities said no evidence has so far emerged to substantiate the abduction theory, though investigators have not ruled it out. Two teams have been deployed to determine whether seasonal workers or travelling groups may have come into contact with the child. Search operations, which initially covered a six-kilometre radius, have now been expanded to nearly 10 kilometres with the assistance of the NDRF.
Teams are searching ponds, tanks, open wells and other water bodies in the area. The NDRF and other search teams are also carrying out combing operations across 11 interconnected hills stretching towards Nakkapalli and Yelamanchili, four of which have already been thoroughly searched. The official said heavy rainfall hampered the initial search efforts, shortly after the child went missing . Nearly three hours of rain lashed the area within about 90 minutes of the incident, affecting both search operations and the collection of evidence.
