Class-III student kidnapped from Karimganj school

A seven-year-old girl has allegedly been kidnapped from her school at Patharkandi in Karimganj district.

The student Archana Sinha (7) is a class-III student at Patharkandi Holy Children Higher Secondary School. She is the daughter of Sanjay Sinha, a resident of Bilbari village under Patharkandi constituency in Karimganj district.

Sanjay, who has lodged a first information report with Patharkandi police station, said he went to the school, around 90km from Silchar, on Wednesday to bring his daughter back after the classes, but he did not find her there. Even after searching a lot, he could not find her out after which he informed the matter to the school principal Subhash Chandra Sharma. However, Archana could not be found out. Sanjay suspected the involvement of someone from the school in the alleged abduction.

Speaking about the matter, Subhash Chandra Sharma said a woman and another man, who told his name to be Bimal Sinha, had come to the school on Tuesday to take Archana with them after the classes. However, he (Subhash) did not allow them to take her, he said.

He suspected that the duo had perhaps visited the school on Wednesday again and somehow took Archana with them after the classes were over.

An official of Patharkandi police station said a probe had been initiated into the incident and a number of operations based on information from different sources had been carried out. There was no arrest made in this connection, as per last available reports.

A source in police said on Thursday evening that Archana was taken from the school by her mother Shyamali Sinha, who lives separately from her husband Sanjay over some family-related issues. The matter had even gone to the court following which Sanjay started living with Archana at his house at Bilbari. Shyamali (who had gone to Archana’s school on Tuesday to take her) visited the school on Wednesday again and took Archana with her to Guwahati. Shyamali has confirmed this to police over phone, the source said.

The reason behind the act by Shyamali was unknown. Besides, it could not be confirmed whether the police will take any action against her regarding the matter.