Rajkot: A day after 11 juveniles escaped from the govt observation home on Gondal Road, police have traced and brought back seven of them, while an intensive search operation is underway to locate the remaining four, including the alleged mastermind behind the well-planned escape.The four missing juveniles are accused of serious offences, including murder, assault and Pocso cases.DCP (crime) Jagdish Bangarwa said that police teams tracked down one juvenile from Nalsarovar, two from Viramgam, two from Limbdi in Surendranagar district and one from Botad. Another boy returned to the observation home on his own after reaching a railway station and deciding to come back.Investigations have revealed that the escape was allegedly orchestrated by a 16-year-old boy who was admitted to the home on June 1 in connection with an assault case registered in Rajkot’s Thorala area. Police suspect he damaged CCTV cameras before leading the group out of the facility.Besides the alleged mastermind, the absconders include a 16-year-old of Bhachau in Kutch who is allegedly involved in murder and assault cases, a 16-year-old booked by Wankaner police in a murder case.More than 10 police teams were deployed immediately after the escape came to light. Authorities have been examining phone records, visitor logs, previous addresses, native places and case histories of the juveniles to trace their movements. Searches have also been carried out at railway stations, bus terminals and other transit points.Officials said all the juveniles who escaped were between 16 and 17 years of age. They hailed from different parts of the country, including Rajkot, Kutch, Botad, Ahmedabad, Odisha, Bihar and Madhya Pradesh. One of the juveniles is reportedly originally from Karachi, Pakistan.
