An incident involving an alleged attempt to lure school children by an unidentified non-local male was reported near Toulazouma Government Primary School (GPS) last week.
As per the teacher-in-charge of the school Thungchamo Lotha, the incident took place on May 16 between 8:30 AM and 11:30 AM where two school-going girls were approached by a man in a red car parked alongside the road, offering them money and attempted to persuade them to enter the vehicle. The frightened children fled from the scene and did not inform school authorities at the time.
Later that same day, a class 5 student from the same school reportedly encountered a similar event with the same red car while heading home from school. The man allegedly tried to lure the boy in the same manner.
The incidents remained unknown to school staff until May 19, when the guardians of the children, accompanied by the village Gaon Bura (GB), reported the details with the teacher-in-charge. The students were subsequently called in and queried about the incident.
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The school immediately organized a safety awareness session for all students, emphasizing the importance of personal safety and the risks of engaging with strangers. The incident was also circulated through various local WhatsApp groups to alert the wider community.
According to Lotha, awareness on child safety is regularly addressed at the school, and a similar session had recently been conducted before this particular event occurred.
At the time of filing of this report, no First Information Report (FIR) has been lodged in connection with the incident.
In the light of the situation, the school administration has issued a set of safety recommendations aimed at students, parents, and teaching staff: Students should not be allowed to loiter during school hours, parents/guardians must immediately contact the school if their child fails to reach home on time, class teachers should promptly inform parents if a student is found to be absent.
For lower classes, students have been asked not to leave school premises unless accompanied by a parent or guardian and all classrooms should be thoroughly checked after school hours.
The school has urged parents and the general public to remain alert and to report any suspicious activity near school zones to local authorities to help ensure the safety and security of students.
