Girl on birthday trip gets lost in Delhi's Chandni Chowk, rescued by cops

NEW DELHI:  For a couple from Uttar Pradesh a fun-filled trip to the national capital for shopping for their daughter’s sixth birthday turned into a harrowing experience after she got lost in the crowded Chandni Chowk market.

With bags of clothes and birthday decorations, the girl’s parents went shop to shop enquiring about their daughter, finally reaching the cops. “We deployed our local network to find the girl. After a two-hour search, we finally traced her,” said Head Constable Bharat recalling the December 7 incident.

The details of the girl were sent on WhatsApp groups, comprising shopkeepers, police personnel and local institutions, Bharat said, adding that the girl was found by the members of Shish Ganj Gurudwara.

On December 7, the girl’s father along with his wife, his three-year-old and six-month-old sons and two relatives had come to Chandni Chowk.  They were going from shop to shop. When they reached Vishal Mava Bhandar, they realised the girl was missing.

During their search, they reached a police booth, and told head constables Bharat and Bijender about the incident. The head constables swung into action. Detailing the modus-operandi to trace the girl, police said details were sent on WhatsApp groups and announcements were also made on speakers. Local shopkeepers and vendors were also involved.   

The girl was found in the marketplace after a two-hour search, police said. Deputy Commissioner of Police (North) Sagar Singh Kalsi said the Delhi Police had laid special emphasis on solving cases of human trafficking and tracing missing children.