Three-Year-Old Missing from GMCH for Three Days; CCTV Failures and Security Lapses Under Scanner

Guwahati: A three-year-old girl allegedly abducted from the premises of Gauhati Medical College and Hospital (GMCH) remains untraced even three days after the incident, intensifying pressure on city police and raising fresh concerns over security lapses at the state’s premier medical institution.

The child, identified as Anjuma Khatun, went missing on February 13 at around 1:25 pm from the hospital campus. Unlike previous incidents reported from inside hospital wards, this time the abduction reportedly took place from outside the main building while the child was playing within the campus.

According to sources, Anjuma’s mother, Mojiron Khatun, is physically disabled and earns her livelihood by begging within the GMCH campus while raising her two children without her husband. Due to her daughter’s young age, she would take the three-year-old along with her.

On the day of the incident, an unidentified woman allegedly approached Mojiron at around 11 am and offered her money. After speaking briefly, the woman reportedly went inside the hospital premises and later returned with tea for Mojiron and chocolates for the child. Soon after consuming the tea, Mojiron began feeling drowsy. Taking advantage of the situation, the woman allegedly took away Anjuma, who was playing nearby, and disappeared.

A case has been registered at Bhangagarh Police Station, but police have so far failed to trace the child or identify the suspect. The delay in making a breakthrough has sparked public concern.

The incident has also put the spotlight on surveillance infrastructure within the hospital campus. Although multiple CCTV cameras are installed across GMCH, several of them have reportedly been non-functional for the past two months. Under Guwahati Smart City Limited, around 2,000 CCTV cameras were installed across the city at a cost of ₹178 crore. However, many are said to be defunct, hampering effective monitoring.

The latest case has reignited fears that GMCH is increasingly becoming vulnerable to child trafficking activities. Questions are now being raised about the lack of adequate security personnel and the failure of surveillance systems, as incidents of child abduction — both from inside the hospital and its premises — continue to surface.

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