Boy with learning disability strays off in Andheri; cops trace him to hotel in Dahisar

Mumbai: An eight-year-old boy, suffering from learning disability, strayed off while returning to his home in Andheri and was nowhere to be found, however, the police traced the child to a hotel in Dahisar and reunited him with his family within 12 hours after a complaint was registered.

The boy’s family shifted to Gilbert Hill, Andheri West, a few days ago, an officer from DN Nagar police station said, adding, “While playing with other children outside, he strayed off around 11.30 am on Tuesday. He was found in a hotel in Dahisar around 1am on Wednesday.”

“After the child went missing, the parents were looking for him in the nearby areas. They also posted about him on social media, saying that the child cannot speak,” the officer added. Inspector Wahid Pathan came across this post and called the child’s parents, insisting they should file a formal missing report at the earliest.

“five teams were formed under the instructions from deputy commissioner of police for zone 9 Krishnakant Upadhyay, assistant commissioner of police for DN Nagar division Shashikant Mane and senior inspector Milind Kurade to look for the kid,” the officer said. “A team headed by assistant police inspector Sunit Ghadge was continuously monitoring the CCTV footage from the area to locate the child. Other teams spread around to the public areas like parks, bus stops and railway stations. The first team spotted the child in the footage from Andheri station.”

The officer added that the child had apparently got down the hill, walked through SV Road to reach Andheri station and was seen boarding a Borivali-bound train.

“The on-ground teams immediately moved and started coming through all the railway stations on the route. Meanwhile, the first team saw the boy deboarding the train at Borivali station and exiting from the east side,” the officer said.

From there, he added, the child was seen walking with a packet of chips. “He walked all the way to Dahisar. We found him in a hotel there. Immediately, we brought him back to the police station, and made sure he was not hurt or harmed in any other way before handing the child back to the parents around 2am on Wednesday, exactly twelve hours after the missing complaint was formally filed,” the officer said, adding that teams from Juhu, Santacruz, Versova and Oshiwara police stations were also involved in the search.