Social media login helps cops trace missing Class 9 students

Bhopal: Two Class 9 students who had allegedly gone missing from a government residential school in the Ratibad area around midnight were safely traced and recovered from Ujjain after a week. The students were reportedly seen in the Neelbad and Barkheda Nathu areas before eventually reaching Ujjain. They first traveled to Sehore Road and then boarded a bus to Ujjain. The breakthrough in locating them came on Friday night when the boys purchased a new mobile phone and logged into their social media accounts to contact an acquaintance, allowing police to pinpoint their location through cyber surveillance.Ratibad SHO RB Sharma said the two students, both aged 16, are residents of Berasia and come from farming families. They have been studying at the government residential school in Ratibad since Class 6 and are currently enrolled in Class 9.According to the police, on December 12, school teachers caught the two boys engaging in mischief on the campus. The teachers reprimanded them and informed them that their parents would be contacted. Later that night, around 1 am, after other hostel students had fallen asleep in the common hall, the two boys reportedly slipped out of the school premises.The school authorities lodged a missing persons complaint the following day, on December 13. After leaving the school, the students wandered through various areas before reaching Ujjain. There, they purchased a new mobile phone and reactivated their social media accounts. Once the accounts were accessed, police were able to obtain information about their location through cyber monitoring.Acting on this technical lead, Ratibad police coordinated with Ujjain police and successfully recovered both students at around 9 pm. Police confirmed that the boys are safe, and further action is being taken in accordance with standard procedure.