Missing kid found 22km from home after 6 yrs

Missing kid found 22km from home after 6 yrs

Shubhra.Pant@timesgroup.com

Gurgaon:23.10.2020

One evening in 2014, Anurag, then a little over three years old, was playing near his house in Ghitorni when he got separated from his family. Since then, despite concerted efforts by his family, he couldn’t be traced until last Thursday, when a team of officials from the Child Welfare Commission, Gurgaon Police and the Delhi Police tracked him down to an orphanage in Kherki Daula, 22 km from where he went missing. Anurag was reunited with his family the following day after around six years.

Talking about the search operation, ACP (crime) Preet Pal Sangwan told TOI that the missing cell which was formed in September was informed about Anurag from CWC. After looking through police records in neighbouring cities in the national capital region, the team found a missing child report at Vasant Kunj police station that matched Anurag’s description.

“The major hurdle was that Anurag did not remember anything about his family or their address,” Sangwan recalled.

Police officers from Gurgaon and Delhi showed Anurag’s photo from 2014 to his parents and they immediately recognised him. “The family was taken to meet Anurag on October 15. Since the boy needed some time to mentally prepare himself before going back home, we gave him a week’s time to adjust with the new reality of his life,” said Sunil Kohli, CWC chairman, Gurgaon.

Few days after Anurag went missing in 2014, he was spotted roaming around in DLF-2 by police officers. They sent him to Udayan Care Home, from where he was recovered last week.

Soon after an emotional reunion, Anurag’s mother turned slightly apprehensive about whether the child will be able to blend in with the family after all these years. “I have spent all these years crying and making desperate visits to police stations hoping to find my son,” said Raj Bai, who, along with her husband Ramchandra travelled all the way from Tikamgarh in Madhya Pradesh where they’ve moved to during the lockdown.

Anurag, who studies in class 4, however, was not excited to go home and live with his parents.

He scored 85% in the last annual exam and has dreams of becoming a soldier. He fears that moving back with his parents might disrupt his education. “I have been studying in a good school and have learnt so much. I fear that moving at this stage will hamper my education.”

REUNITED Anurag