Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav has said that 26 girl inmates of a children's home who were alleged to have gone missing were safe, and directed officials to take action against such institutions which were operating illegally.

Police on Saturday said a case had been registered in connection with the alleged disappearance of the girls from Anchal Children's Home in Parwalia area, about 20 kilometres from Bhopal district headquarters.

It was suspected that they left after feeling homesick, said an official.

Later, CM Yadav in a post on X said the girls who went missing from the children's home at Pawalia in Bhopal were safe and had been identified.

He also told senior officials via video conference from Indore that strict action should be taken against children's homes which are operating without due permissions and registration, an official release said.

Bhopal district rural Superintendent of Police Pramod Kumar Singh told PTI that all the missing girls were safe and with their families.

On Thursday, police registered a First Information Report (FIR) on the complaint of district programme officer Ramgopal Yadav against Anil Mathew for allegedly running the children's home illegally.

Mathew failed to provide a registration certificate for the facility, and 26 of 68 girl inmates were missing, the complainant claimed.

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