Missing 15-year old from Karnataka reunited with family after a month

A 15-year old boy who had left his Karnataka residence last month, was traced by the city crime branch sleuths in Dadar area. The boy was fascinated with Mumbai and had fled his home without informing anyone.

According to joint commissioner of police, crime, Sadanand Date, the boy, Navratna, son of 31-year old Poonamchand Sharma, a resident of Kumtha in north Karnataka, had left his house in order to deposit Rs12,000 on August 5, but did not return home. His mobile phone too was constantly switched off.

"Since Navratna could not be traced, a kidnapping complaint was lodged with local police in Kumtha. Initially, information received was that Navratna was spotted in Nagpada area of Mumbai. We later learned that he was with one Pankaj Chauhan, 35, a businessman from Parel area," said deputy commissioner, Dhananjay Kulkarni.

"After interrogating Chauhan, it was revealed that he had found Navratna near Dadar railway station a few days ago. Since Navratna could not give any details about his family, Chauhan started taking care of him, fearing that he would fall in the hands of anti-social elements," said senior inspector Arvind Sawant.

As per the police, Navratna's fascination with Mumbai was such that he fled home to visit the city. "Navratna has been safely reunited with his family," informed inspector A Dharmadhikari.