The girls reached the school around 6.30 am for the Independence Day function and were expected to return home by around 10.30 am. (Representational image)Three Class 9 girls from a private school in Patiala, Punjab, went missing after attending an Independence Day function on Saturday, the police said.According to their parents, the 14-year-old girls reached the school around 6.30 am for the function and were expected to return by around 10.30 am. However, none of the three reached home, and their parents approached the Civil Lines police on Saturday afternoon.Civil Lines Station House Officer Winnerpreet Singh said, “Our teams are on the job to trace the girls. Since Saturday, we have formed different teams and are on the job. They are looking at CCTV footage from various locations. We are hopeful of a positive outcome soon.”One of the parents said, “Since LKG, my wife or I had been dropping our daughter and even picking her up from the school campus. On Saturday, my wife was supposed to pick her up, but her Scooty got punctured on the way. Our daughter even called my wife from the school reception at around 10.28 am, asking where she was and saying that she was waiting for her. But when my wife reached the school, my daughter was not there on the campus.”Another parent said the daughter usually travelled by an autorickshaw arranged for pick-up and drop-off. “The autorickshaw driver kept waiting outside the school for nearly 20 minutes, but my daughter never came out of the gate where she would normally board the autorickshaw,” the parent said.The girls have reportedly been studying at the school since kindergarten.CCTV footage shows girls boarding autorickshawThe parents said they were informed about CCTV footage showing all three girls leaving the school campus through another gate.Story continues below this adSources said that in another CCTV recording, the girls were seen near the Bhakra Canal on Nabha Road, where they allegedly boarded an autorickshaw. They were later reportedly spotted near the Patiala bus stand, according to CCTV footage being examined by the police. However, their current whereabouts remained unknown till the filing of this report.The parents said the girls did not have mobile phones with them when they left the school, as their phones were at home. Sources said police are examining their call details, chat history, and other information that could help establish their recent contacts.Meanwhile, questions have been raised over the security arrangements at the school, particularly how the three girls were able to leave the campus through another gate without being stopped or questioned by security personnel.