(1) Any police officer or other person authorised by the State Government in this behalf may, if there are reasonable grounds to believe that a person is a neglected child, take charge of that person for bringing him before the Board.
(2) When information is given to an officer in charge of a police station about any neglected child found within the limits of such station, he shall enter in a book to be kept for the purpose, the substance of such information and take such action thereon as he deems fit and if such officer does not propose to take charge of the child, he shall forward a copy of the entry made to the Board.
(3) Every child taken charge of under sub-section (1) shall be brought before the Board within a period of twenty four hours of such charge taken excluding the time necessary for the journey from the place where the child had been taken charge of the Board.
(4) Every child taken charge of under sub-section (1) shall, unless he is kept with his parent or guardian, be sent to a Children' Home-cum-Observation Home (but not to a police station or jail) until he can be brought before the Board.