A family that migrated to Ranchi from Patna, Bihar, seeking a better future has been plunged into a week-long nightmare after their two young children vanished without a trace last Friday. The incident, occurring startlingly close to a high-security government zone, has left the parents in a state of unbearable grief and raised serious questions about safety and response.
A Dream Shattered in an Afternoon
Sunil Kumar and Neetu Kumari, along with their three children, moved to Jharkhand's capital around ten months ago to join Sunil's father, Dudesh Roy, who had migrated earlier. They settled in a modest dwelling in a slum near Mausibadi in the Dhurwa area. While Sunil worked hard selling vegetables and milk, Neetu cared for their children—five-year-old Ansh, four-year-old Anshika, and their two-and-a-half-year-old sibling.
Their life, built brick by brick, crumbled on the afternoon of last Friday. Around 2:30 PM, Ansh and Anshika stepped out of their home to buy biscuits from a local shop, a routine errand they had undertaken safely many times before. This time, they never returned.
"It was my biggest mistake. I shouldn't have allowed them," a distraught Neetu told reporters, clutching her youngest son and breaking down as she called out for her missing children. She has been pleading with anyone who will listen to bring her children back at any cost.
Frantic Search Yields No Clues
The family's world instantly turned upside down. Sunil called his father, Dudesh Roy, who was at the market, around 3:30 PM with the horrifying news. Dudesh rushed home, and along with neighbours, launched a desperate search that lasted through the night. The grief has been so overwhelming that the family has barely been able to eat a proper meal since the children disappeared.
The location of the incident adds a layer of grim irony and frustration. The slum is situated within a five-kilometre radius of a high-security zone housing the state police headquarters, the chief minister's secretariat, the state assembly, and the high court.
"Two children going missing from such a place and having no information on their whereabouts for a week is serious," a local resident lamented, expressing a sentiment of neglect felt by the slum community. "Had a similar incident happened with the families of the officers, they would have found out by now. But who cares about slum dwellers?"
Police Investigation Underway
Ranchi (city) Superintendent of Police Paras Rana stated that a serious investigation is ongoing. A 15-member special team has been formed to conduct raids at various locations. Forensic experts and dog squads have been deployed, and CCTV footage from the area is being scoured for any leads.
In an effort to widen the net, the police have uploaded photographs of Ansh and Anshika on the national portal for missing children and circulated them in relevant WhatsApp groups. A reward of Rs 51,000 has also been announced for anyone providing credible information that leads to finding the siblings.
Despite these efforts, a week has passed with no breakthrough, leaving Sunil, Neetu, and their family in an agonizing limbo, their hopes for a better life in Ranchi replaced by a single, desperate prayer for their children's safe return.
