Dandeli: Panic spread in Dandeli town of Uttara Kannada district after a four-year-old boy was reported missing on Friday morning. However, after nearly five hours of intensive searching, the child was found surprisingly asleep beneath the staircase leading to the terrace of his own house, bringing relief to the family, local residents and police.

The boy, identified as Azaan Mohammed Yasin, a resident of the Lamani Chal area in Dandeli, had stepped out of his house in the morning telling family members that he was going to visit relatives nearby. When he did not return for a long time, worried family members began searching for him and later alerted the police.

As news of the child’s disappearance spread across the locality, residents joined the search in large numbers. Police also launched a search operation in different parts of the town and began checking vehicles. Announcements were made through mosques urging people to inform the nearest police station if they came across any information about the child.

Police stations in Haliyal and Joida were also alerted, while monitoring was intensified by setting up check posts at several locations in the town. Preparations were reportedly underway to bring a dog squad from Karwar to assist in the search.

After nearly five hours of frantic efforts by police and residents, the child was eventually found inside the house itself, asleep beneath the staircase leading to the terrace. The discovery brought immense relief to the family and the local community, ending hours of anxiety and tension in the area.