Two missing Bhagalpur girls rescued in Mumbai after weeks-long search

Two minor girls who went missing from Bihar’s Bhagalpur district earlier this month were safely rescued from Mumbai following an intensive multi-state search operation conducted by the Bihar Police, officials said on Saturday.

The girls had disappeared from the Babarganj police station area on January 8, prompting their families to file a missing persons complaint. A Special Investigation Team (SIT) was immediately formed under the supervision of senior police officers to trace their whereabouts.

Senior Superintendent of Police Anand Kumar said investigators analysed extensive CCTV footage from Bhagalpur , nearby railway stations and several suspected transit points. The trail eventually led to the Dongri area of Mumbai, where the girls were located with the help of local police and child welfare authorities.

“A police team, along with the parents of the girls, has been sent to Mumbai. With the assistance of the child welfare department, both girls were rescued safely,” the SSP said, adding that the case was handled with sensitivity amid concerns of possible child trafficking.

After their return to Bhagalpur, the girls’ statements will be recorded before a magistrate. Further legal procedures will follow to determine the circumstances and reasons behind their disappearance, he said.

Officials noted that such cases underline a wider and troubling pattern of vulnerability faced by girls from poor and rural backgrounds, who are often targeted for exploitation due to lack of awareness, economic hardship and limited social protection.

Law enforcement agencies have repeatedly warned that traffickers and intermediaries prey on families in economically weaker regions by making false promises of jobs or better opportunities in big cities. Police said the latest rescue highlights the need for stronger community awareness, faster reporting of missing cases and closer coordination between states to prevent the exploitation of minors.

Investigations are continuing to establish whether any organised network was involved in the incident.