Missing Andhra boy reunited with family in Amritsar

A 15-year-old boy from Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh, missing since August 6 was reunited with his family in the city.

The Railway Child Help Desk, Child Protection Department, and Bal Kalyan Samiti (BKS), Amritsar, helped trace the boy.

Advocate MK Sharma of the Bal Kalyan Samiti, Amritsar, said it was on August 6 that the Amritsar Railway Police received information about the boy. On being alerted about his whereabouts, the Railway Child Help Desk swung into action and and rescued him.

“During the boy's counselling, we found that he belongs to Visakhapatnam. As he spoke Telugu, getting his family's details was an uphill task," he said.

Sharma said: “To ensure that the boy was safe, they sent him to the Children's Home for Boys. After getting in touch with the Visakhapatnam administration, help from the police and the Child Welfare Committee was sought. The efforts fructified as his family was traced and asked to come to Amritsar,” he added.

On August 11, the boy's parents arrived in Amritsar and were reunited with their son after identification.

His family said after being scolded by his teacher over damage to a laptop, the boy boarded a train, which got him to Amritsar.

The Railway Child Help Desk rescues 20 children from railway station every month, Sharma said.

He appealed to people to report any such cases on Child Helpline 1098.