Baripada: A search operation by police is underway for a two-and-a-half-year-old girl who went missing while playing on the veranda of her house near Bhanjpur Railway Station in Odisha's Baripada on Sunday. Police have formed three teams to trace the child and ensure her safe recovery.

According to reports, the girl child, Mahi Mahira Soren, was playing on the veranda of her rented house when the incident took place at around 11 am. Her mother, Chandramani Soren, had briefly gone inside the house to cook.

When she returned, she found her daughter missing. The child's slippers were lying at the spot. Family members searched the surrounding areas but failed to find the girl. Chandramani subsequently lodged a written complaint at the Bhanjpur police station.

Following the complaint, police launched a search operation in different areas. However, the child had not been traced at the time of reporting.

The girl's father, Sunil Kumar Soren, who serves in the Border Security Force (BSF), contacted the police over the phone after learning about the incident. He urged the authorities to ensure his daughter's safe recovery.

Bhanjpur police station IIC Rashmi Ranjan Prusty said the incident was being treated seriously and three police teams had been deployed to search for the missing girl.