Reunited
■ Young sisters returned to their dad after excellent work by Police and a taxi driver, described as ‘a guardian angel’, who found them.
Two young sisters yesterday happily reunited with their father and siblings after disappearing in the morning.
Thanks to the excellent work of the Police and a taxi driver, described as a guardian angel, who found them.
Their dad, Sailasa Takali, 35, left their Caubati home yesterday morning to sell pineapples and later drop off school lunches for two siblings.
Mr Takali left the children with a relative.
Shortly after he left Sainimili Ravouvou, 5, and younger sister Kinisimere Seru, 3, walked out of their home barefoot to look for their mother who lives at Khalsa Road. Their parents are separated.
The sisters walked through a dangerous shortcut that connected them to the Kings Road at the Kinoya bend.
People have been mugged at this shortcut before.
Then the sisters walked to the Khalsa Road turnoff and began their ascent towards Tacirua.
Many cars passed them, but no one stopped to ask until they went close to the Digicel base.
Police gave the following account of the taxi
driver who found them.
They said the taxi driver travelling the same way noticed something strange about the sisters. He felt they were too young to be on their own. On the way back after dropping his passengers he stopped to ask them. They were holding hands. Sainimili was quiet, but Kinisimere was crying.
The driver then took them to the Tacirua Police Post and lodged a report. Officers there then took the girls to the Caubati Police Post because they did not know where they were from.
The girls took a nap because they were tired. When they woke up they had a shared lunch of cake and juice with officers before they were taken to the Valelevu Police Station.
Police spokesperson Ana Naisoro said the Police had intended to conduct a door to door search to trace their home.
But she said the girls told the Police officers that they had an elder brother in Year Six at the Assemblies of God Primary School in Nasinu.
Police were able to get the family contacts and return the girls to their father, who by now was searching for them frantically. A relieved Mr Takali was emotional. He said the girls had ventured out to look for their mother.
He said they had separated two months ago and he had custody of their five children including the girls.
He said the two girls were at home with a relative as he had gone to the primary school to drop off food for the other children.
“When I came back from school, I got to know my kids were missing. One family member was at home when I left for school after midday,” he said.
“When I could not find them, I called my wife. She had not seen them. I started to look along Khalsa Road.
“When I returned home, the Police called me and told me they were safe.”
Mr Takali said all types of thoughts started running through his head given the recent reports in the media about a missing girl who is yet to be found.