Kaanum Pongal: 19 children who went missing in crowd traced, reunited with parents

As many as 19 children who went missing in the crowds that had gathered at the beaches of Chennai on Kaanum Pongal day on Thursday (January 16, 2025) were traced and reunited with their parents by the Chennai police.

As many as 19 children who went missing in the crowds that had gathered at the beaches of Chennai on Kaanum Pongal day on Thursday (January 16, 2025) were traced and reunited with their parents by the Chennai police.

As a huge turnout was expected at the Marina beach and other public spaces in view of the festival, elaborate security arrangements were made to avoid untoward incidents, the police said. A total of 16,000 police personnel and 1,500 home guards were deployed for security. Temporary mini-control rooms were set up from the Labour statue to Gandhi statue and police assistance booths were arranged at the entry points of seven service roads from the Labour statue to the Lighthouse. Beach buggies and drone cameras were also used by the police.

The police had also tied bands around the wrists of children who were accompanied by their parents to the beaches to ensure they could be traced in case they went missing in the crowd. The wrist band carried the details of the child and his/her parents, including the name, address, and mobile number of the parent. The police had also prepared ID cards that were placed at all police assistance booths and temporary police control rooms.

The police said they received at least 10 complaints regarding missing children from the Labour statue-Kannagi statue stretch, and five from the Kannagi statue-Lighthouse stretch. Four children were reported missing from the Elliots and Neelankarai beaches. The children were traced and reunited with their parents shortly after receiving the complaints, the police said.