A week after a 14-year-old boy allegedly went missing while bathing at Gopalpur beach in Ganjam, police have assured to help the distressed family trace the minor.
A heart-rending scene unfolded at the Berhampur SP office on Monday with the worried parents and other family members making an earnest appeal with the top cop to take steps to find the missing boy.
As the members of the family narrated their ordeal before the SP, they burst into tears, leaving one and all present at the office moved.
According to the family members, Sumit Sahu, son of Sudarshan Sahu of Radhakrushna Sahi near Gate Bazaar in Berhampur town, along with his three other friends went to Gopalpur beach to take bath.
While they were enjoying the bath, Sumit saw his friends drowning and calling for help. He reportedly leapt into the water to save them and in the process went missing. However, owing to the prompt intervention by lifeguards at the spot, three boys were rescued but Sumit went untraced.
Meanwhile, Berhampur SP has assured the aggrieved family of all possible help in this regard.
“An investigation will be launched to ascertain whether the boy actually went missing in the sea or something else had happened to him,” said SP Vivek M.
“On the basis of the primary report, his photo would be sent out to the Coast Guard, marine police and fishermen. This apart an operation would also be launched engaging the marine police’s boat and an ODRAF team,” he added.
Sumit’s father Sudarshan Sahu told OTV that when contacted for help, Gopalpur police instead of taking it seriously, gave his family members a torch, asking them to go and search for the missing son.
"They (Gopalpur police) asked us to leave our names with them so that they could contact us on finding him out. We haven’t been contacted as yet,” said Sahu.