Four students were reported missing from the hostel of a private school at Baganbari, under the Jahangirpur panchayat of Gangarampur, in South Dinajpur on Wednesday night.

The missing children are 14-year-old Deep Roy and Tanvir Ali of Class IX, and 13-year-old Rahen Mondal and Jamirul Mia of Class VII.

The four students had dinner on Wednesday night and went to sleep.

The hostel authorities discovered they were missing during attendance on Thursday morning.

They searched the hostel premises, but the students could not be found.

The CCTV footage reportedly showed the four boys leaving the school campus with bags through the main gate around 4.30am.

None of the four returned to their homes.

Police said the missing students are all from South Dinajpur — Deep is from Jalalpur, Tanvir from Hamzapur, Rahen from Damodarpur and Jamirul Dhaldighi.

Anxious family members rushed to the hostel and the Gangarampur police station.

Separate missing diaries have been lodged by the families, while the school authorities also filed a written complaint with the police.

Jahir Alam, one guardian, said they were informed of the disappearances around 7.30 am. “We later came to know through CCTV footage that they had left around 4.30 in the morning. We searched nearby areas and even went to the railway station, where the staff at the ticket counter told us that three boys had been seen purchasing tickets.”

Mahadut Hossain, treasurer of the school, said: “We have already informed the police and sought administrative assistance to trace them.”

Police are investigating whether the boys left voluntarily or if there is another reason for their disappearance.

“We are also talking to the school authorities, the guardians and others to gather more information on the quartet,” said an officer.