Villupuram: The search for a seven-year-old girl who disappeared from her home near Gingee in Tamil Nadu’s Villupuram district has entered its 15th day, with more than 100 police personnel involved in efforts to trace her. Despite extensive searches, examination of CCTV footage and analysis of hundreds of mobile phone records, investigators have yet to establish what happened to the Class 2 student.
Tamil Nadu Law Minister R Nirmal Kumar said on Monday that the police were investigating the case from multiple angles and that Director General of Police Mahesh Kumar Agarwal was reviewing the progress daily. His remarks came amid mounting public concern and criticism from opposition parties over the absence of a breakthrough.
The investigation has been transferred to the Crime Branch-Criminal Investigation Department (CB-CID), which has intensified inquiries in the village and surrounding areas. An additional investigating officer has also been appointed as authorities continue to examine possible leads.
Girl disappeared after celebrating her seventh birthday
The girl, identified in reports as V Hemavathi, went missing in the early hours of October 12 from her home in Alampoondi village near Gingee. Some reports have also spelt her name as Hemalatha.
She had celebrated her seventh birthday with her family on October 11. According to the family’s account, she went to sleep with her parents and grandmother later that night. Her parents, who work as daily-wage or agricultural labourers, discovered that she was missing the following morning.
The family initially searched the area around their house, including nearby agricultural fields and a canal, believing that she might have stepped outside. When those efforts failed, they approached the Sathiyamangalam police station, where a missing-person case was registered.
The circumstances of her disappearance remain unclear. Police have been examining the events surrounding the birthday celebration, the people who visited the family and movements in the area during the night.
The prolonged absence of any confirmed information has caused distress to the family and concern among residents of Alampoondi and neighbouring villages.
CB-CID takes over after initial search yields no breakthrough
The local police launched an extensive search after receiving the complaint. Several special teams were formed, with officers checking the surrounding countryside and questioning people who might have information about the girl’s disappearance.
As the search continued without a breakthrough, the case was transferred to the CB-CID on the direction of the state police chief around October 21–22. The specialist unit subsequently began its investigation, taking over the records and evidence gathered by the district police.
Reports published on October 26 said Kanchipuram CB-CID Deputy Superintendent of Police Velmurugan had been appointed as an additional investigating officer. DSP Geetha was already leading the CB-CID investigation. The appointment adds another senior officer to the effort to identify fresh leads and reconstruct the events preceding the disappearance.
The transfer followed criticism that the initial investigation had not produced tangible results despite days of intensive searching.
CCTV footage and 600 phone records examined
Investigators have been examining CCTV recordings from roads connecting Alampoondi with nearby areas, including routes towards Tiruvannamalai. The footage is being reviewed for movements or activity that could help establish the girl’s whereabouts during the period surrounding her disappearance.
Police have also analysed around 600 mobile phone call records linked to mobile towers covering the area on the night of October 11 and in the early hours of October 12.
The examination is intended to help investigators identify potentially relevant movements and contacts. The records are being assessed alongside statements from residents, relatives and other people questioned during the investigation.
Police teams have also conducted door-to-door inquiries in Alampoondi and neighbouring villages. Investigators are checking information about people in the locality and examining possible leads that could help establish whether the girl left the area or was taken elsewhere.
The analysis of phone records and CCTV footage has not, according to reports available on Monday, resulted in a publicly confirmed breakthrough.
Search teams comb wells, fields and forest areas
The physical search has covered a wide range of locations around the village. Police and other personnel have searched wells, ponds, canals, agricultural fields, hillocks, scrubland and forested areas.
Drones and sniffer dogs have been used to assist the operation, while forensic experts have examined locations connected with the case. Fire and rescue personnel have also helped search water bodies and other difficult-to-access areas.
More than 100 police personnel have been involved in the wider effort, supported by special investigation teams. Earlier reports said the number of teams was increased as the search expanded.
Investigators have also examined a nearby waste-dumping site as part of efforts to locate possible evidence. The searches have continued without any confirmed information establishing where the child is.
Police have been pursuing several possible explanations, including suspected abduction. However, no publicly confirmed conclusion has been announced about the circumstances of her disappearance.
Investigators question family members and other people
The CB-CID has been questioning the girl’s parents and other people who may be able to clarify the events of October 11 and 12.
Reports published on October 26 said investigators had also questioned members of the family of a man reportedly being considered as a prospective groom for the girl’s elder sister. The inquiries included a relative who was reported to have brought the girl a birthday cake on October 11.
These reported questioning sessions are investigative steps and do not establish wrongdoing by the people involved. No conclusion about their role in the disappearance has been publicly confirmed.
Investigators are also examining information about people in the village and surrounding areas, including those with criminal records, as part of the broader inquiry.
The police have not announced a definitive account of what happened to the girl. Any conclusions about an individual’s involvement would need to be supported by evidence gathered during the investigation.
Political pressure grows as search continues
The disappearance has triggered political protests and demands for a more intensive investigation. Workers from the opposition Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) staged a road blockade, while the Pattali Makkal Katchi (PMK) and other political groups called for swift action to trace the child.
The prolonged absence of a breakthrough has put pressure on the state government to demonstrate that all possible leads are being pursued.
Responding to criticism, Law Minister Nirmal Kumar said the police were investigating the case from every conceivable angle and that the DGP was personally monitoring developments each day.
He rejected the opposition’s criticism of the government’s law-and-order record and accused the DMK of failing to resolve high-profile cases during its previous tenure. His remarks brought the missing-child investigation into a wider political dispute over public safety and policing.
However, the immediate concern remains the girl’s whereabouts and the need to establish what happened after she went to sleep at home on the night of her birthday celebration.
Government says investigation is being monitored daily
Nirmal Kumar said the government was committed to a transparent investigation and that those responsible for any crime would face legal action. He reiterated that the search was continuing under daily monitoring by the state police chief.
The CB-CID’s task is now to assess the evidence collected during the initial search, pursue fresh leads and determine whether the available records can establish the child’s movements or identify those responsible for her disappearance.
The investigation has already involved extensive field searches, forensic examinations, CCTV analysis and scrutiny of mobile phone records. The appointment of an additional investigating officer marks a further step in the effort to make progress.
For the family and the residents of Alampoondi, the central question remains unanswered: where is the missing girl?
As the search enters its 15th day, investigators continue to work across several lines of inquiry. Until credible evidence establishes what happened, the circumstances of the disappearance remain unresolved. The priority for the authorities is to trace the child safely and provide the family with reliable answers.