New Delhi: The lives of four young cousins, including three sisters, were thrown into turmoil after a family dispute left them without parental care. The girls’ mother had left the house following an argument with her husband, and about 15 days later, the father also left, leaving the three girls in the care of their aunt.With little food and almost no one to look after them, the sisters, aged between 11 and 16, and their 11-year-old cousin left home in search of food. The group eventually split up — two children boarded a train and ended up begging in Maharashtra, while the other two remained in Delhi, surviving by begging near hospitals and busy intersections.On June 28, police received a complaint from the girls’ mother, a resident of Bhati Mines in south Delhi, reporting that her sister-in-law had informed her that her three daughters had gone missing. Police learnt that her nephew had also disappeared. The woman also received a video on her mobile phone showing two of the children begging near 100 Foota Road in Chhatarpur.Based on the footage, police launched a search across Chhatarpur, Lado Sarai, Mehrauli, Safdarjung Hospital, AIIMS and other locations frequently visited by homeless children. A team constituted by DCP (south) Anant Mittal under the supervision of SHO Prahlad Singh traced one of the sisters and her cousin outside Safdarjung Hospital, where they were waiting in a queue for food. They were reunited with their families.But the other two girls couldn’t be traced, prompting police to register a kidnapping FIR and circulate their details nationwide. Government Railway Police in Nagpur found the girls and shifted them to a shelter. A Delhi Police team brought them back safely. Besides reuniting the family, officers also provided them food and other essential supplies.
