Patna: A 12-year-old boy, who is mute and deaf, has gone missing from Apna Ghar, a shelter home run by the social welfare department in Shastri Nagar area of Patna, prompting police to launch a search operation and examine security arrangements at the facility.According to officials, the child was reported missing from the shelter home, located behind Lalit Bhawan near Bailey Road, on the evening of Oct 2. He was last seen on the rooftop of the premises before disappearing.Following a complaint lodged by the shelter home’s superintendent, a team from Shastri Nagar police station reached the facility and began an investigation.Shastri Nagar SHO Prashant Kumar Bhardwaj said an FIR was registered on Sunday and efforts were underway to trace the child. “It is not yet clear how the child escaped, but we are certain he did not leave through the main gate. We are examining CCTV footage of the premises and conducting raids to recover him,” Bhardwaj told TOI.As part of the inquiry, ASI Ajit Kumar reviewed security arrangements at the shelter home. Four home guards are deployed at the facility, but they are not permitted to enter beyond the main gate.According to the roster, ApnaGhar currently houses 71 children, including 42 children with disabilities and 29 others.Police said they are not only searching for the missing child but also examining the circumstances surrounding the incident and the adequacy of supervision and security arrangements at the shelter home. The child had not been traced till Sunday evening.Meanwhile, a home guard posted at the facility, Golu, alleged lapses in the care and supervision of children and claimed they were not being properly looked after. However, shelter home superintendent Jay Prakash denied the allegations, maintaining that there were no lapses at the facility.
