Five teenagers missing in Murshidabad after skipping Friday mosque visit
Synopsis
Five close friends aged 13 to 15 vanished from a Murshidabad village after telling their families they were headed to Friday prayers — but never reached the mosque. Police are keeping both kidnapping and voluntary departure on the table, and the simultaneous disappearance of five minors from the same neighbourhood has investigators treating this as anything but routine.
Key Takeaways
Five teenagers aged 13 to 15 went missing from Srikrishnapur village , Murshidabad , on Friday .
The boys told families they were attending Jummah Namaz at a local mosque but never arrived there.
Families filed missing diary entries and approached Domkal Police around midnight on Friday .
Police are investigating both abduction and the possibility the teenagers left voluntarily in search of employment.
Four of the five are residents of Srikrishnapur village ; the fifth is originally from Kaliganj and was staying with relatives.
Murshidabad District Police in West Bengal have launched an investigation after five teenagers, aged between 13 and 15, went missing from Srikrishnapur village under the Domkal Police Station limits on Friday. The boys had left their homes claiming to attend Jummah Namaz at a local mosque but never arrived there, according to a district police officer.
What Happened
The five teenagers, who are close friends and neighbours in Srikrishnapur village, reportedly left their homes on Friday afternoon for prayers. When they had not returned by late afternoon, their families grew concerned and began searching the area. Inquiries at the local mosque confirmed that none of the five had shown up to offer prayers.
Their families then approached Domkal Police around midnight on Friday, prompting a formal search. Missing diary entries were registered by the families of all five teenagers.
Who the Teenagers Are
Four of the missing boys are residents of Srikrishnapur village and attend the same local school. The fifth is originally from Kaliganj and was staying at his maternal uncle's home in Srikrishnapur while enrolled at a school in the area. All five are between 13 and 15 years of age and were described as extremely close friends.
What Police Are Investigating
Investigators are currently pursuing multiple lines of inquiry. 'The possibility of these five teenagers going somewhere in search of any job is quite high. At the same time, the possibility of their abduction also cannot be ruled out completely. So, we are conducting the investigation keeping all the possibilities in mind. After all, five teenagers going missing at the same time and together is not a simple issue,' a district police officer said.
Notably, local residents are being questioned to determine who may have last seen the group together. The simultaneous disappearance of five minors from the same neighbourhood has been flagged by police as a matter requiring urgent attention.
Broader Context
Missing-child cases involving groups of adolescents in rural West Bengal have periodically raised concerns about trafficking and illegal cross-border movement, though police have not attributed any such motive in this instance. The investigation remains open across all possibilities, including voluntary departure for employment — a pattern seen in economically distressed pockets of Murshidabad district.
Authorities are expected to widen the search perimeter in the coming days as the probe progresses.
Point of View
Yet police have so far kept the framing deliberately open. The 'job search' hypothesis, while plausible, should not become a default that delays more urgent intervention. The fact that families waited hours before approaching police, and that police were alerted only at midnight, also raises questions about community-level awareness of early-reporting protocols for missing children.
NationPress
29 Aug 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
Where did the five teenagers go missing in West Bengal?
The five teenagers went missing from Srikrishnapur village under the Domkal Police Station limits in Murshidabad district, West Bengal. They were last seen leaving their homes on Friday, reportedly to attend Jummah Namaz at a local mosque.
How old are the missing teenagers from Murshidabad?
All five missing teenagers are between 13 and 15 years of age. Four of them study at the same local school in Srikrishnapur village, while the fifth attends a nearby school after relocating from Kaliganj.
What are police investigating as possible reasons for the disappearance?
Murshidabad District Police are investigating two main possibilities: that the teenagers were kidnapped, or that they left voluntarily — possibly in search of employment. Officers have stated that no line of inquiry has been ruled out.
When did the families report the teenagers missing to police?
Families approached Domkal Police around midnight on Friday after the teenagers failed to return home by late afternoon and inquiries at the local mosque confirmed they had never arrived for prayers.
Is there a history of missing-children cases in Murshidabad?
Murshidabad district has periodically seen missing-child cases involving adolescents, with child-rights organisations flagging the region as vulnerable to trafficking. However, police have not attributed any specific motive in this case and say the investigation remains open across all possibilities.
