A search is underway for 15-year-old national-level shooter Damayanti Sen, who has been missing since Thursday afternoon after leaving her home in Howrah. Police say the teenager was last seen on CCTV cameras at Howrah railway station, where investigators are now piecing together her movements.
Damayanti, who was recently selected for the national team trials, left home to buy household items but never returned. Her disappearance has sparked concern among her family as well as the shooting community in West Bengal.
National-level shooter last seen on CCTV at Howrah station
According to police, the teenager’s family initially tried to contact her and checked with her friends, relatives and fellow shooters after she failed to return home. When their efforts yielded no information, they lodged a missing person complaint at the local police station.
During the investigation, police examined CCTV footage from Howrah station. The footage showed Damayanti moving between platforms 4 and 5.
“That was the last time that she was spotted and we are now trying to track where she went from there,” a police officer said.
She remained untraceable till Friday morning.
Family says there were no disputes before disappearance
Police said Damayanti lives at 30/2, Umacharan Bhattacharjee Lane in central Howrah.
According to her family, she had been following a rigorous practice routine after being selected for the national team trials. Her parents also told investigators that she had no disagreements with any family member in the days leading up to her disappearance.
The family is now struggling to understand what may have led to the incident. Friends, neighbours and fellow shooters have also expressed concern over the teenager’s whereabouts.
Earlier controversy in Bengal shooting fraternity
The disappearance comes more than a year after another major controversy involving the shooting fraternity in West Bengal.
In March last year, the West Bengal Rifle Association suspended Olympian and former India rifle coach Joydeep Karmakar from all shooting-related activities in the state. The action followed a series of social media posts in which he accused the association of corruption.