7-year-old with heart defect undergoes rare surgery

KOCHI: The state government has decided to extend a helping hand to Aleena Hussain who was found abandoned at Bandra railway station in Mumbai on February 6. The government on Monday sent two women police officials and a senior civil police officer to Mumbai to bring her home safely. The girl is presently in safe custody at Bapnu Ghar, a charity home for women and children in Worli. “After reading the report in The Times of India, I contacted the DGP, asking him to do everything possible to help the girl. As of now, we have not been able to find Aleena in the list of missing people. Police from the state will go to Mumbai and bring the girl back to Kerala,” said chief minister Oommen Chandy. “We have contacted the Mumbai police and ensured that the girl will be in the safe custody of Bapnu Ghar authorities till the cops from from Kerala reach there,” he said. “We tried the contact number she gave to Mumbai police, but found that such a number does not exist. Following the reports that she had a second-class train ticket to Chengannoor, we have asked the police to see if they can collect any details from there,” Chandy said. Additional director general of police T P Sen Kumar said the police team from Kozhikode had already left for Mumbai. Once the team reaches Mumbai, they will visit Bapnu Ghar along with the RPF officials in Bandra. “Top police officials from Kerala have informed us that they will reach here on Tuesday,” said Vijay Dhopaokar, senior inspector, RPF station, Bandra. He said that the cops were at loss as the girl could not give any details other than her and her father’s name. “We cannot allow her to stay in the charity home for more than a couple of days,” he said. Aleena Hussain was found wandering at Bandra railway station when the RPF took her into custody on February 6. According to her, she was on her way back home, when she was separated from her father in Bandra railway station. Introducing herself as Aleena, she said her father is Hussain from Idukki. As the girl was not ready to reveal anything else, cops sought the help of Bombay Kerala Muslim Jamaath leaders. They also couldn’t get her to give any other details. Hence the police decided to accommodate her in Bapnu Ghar.