Rajkot: A major search operation was launched in Rajkot on Sunday after 11 juveniles escaped from the zonal children observation home by allegedly breaking open an iron gate and damaging CCTV cameras.

One of the escapees, a 16-year-old Pakistani boy, returned to the facility within hours, while police later traced four others, leaving six juveniles still absconding.

The escape was discovered around 9 am, prompting the district administration and police to form multiple teams to track down the missing boys. Rajkot Collector Om Prakash said preliminary findings suggest the breakout was pre-planned, with some juveniles allegedly distracting staff by pretending that one of them was injured before carrying out the escape.

“The iron gate was large and heavy. It may have required the combined efforts of several boys to break it and flee,” Prakash said, adding that four juveniles had been apprehended outside Rajkot by evening.

The observation home was housing 54 juveniles at the time, several of whom were facing serious charges carrying prison terms of more than seven years. Officials said the escapees were aged between 16 and 17 years.

Police are examining CCTV footage and other evidence to determine how the breach occurred and whether there were any security lapses. Deputy Commissioner of Police (Crime) Jagdish Bangarwa said 11 police teams had been deployed to trace the remaining absconding juveniles. DeshGujarat