MARGAO: In a heartwarming turn of events, the Konkan Railway Police reunited a runaway 10-year-old boy from Kudal with his family at the Margao railway station. The boy had travelled alone on the Nagpur Express, arriving at Margao around 8.20 pm on Tuesday night.
Upon disembarking from the train, the child seemed lost and nervous on the platform. Alert ASI Winsten Araujo and constable Ragesh Naik, who were on duty, approached him, asking if he was alone. The boy, visibly upset, began crying, prompting the police officers to take him to the Konkan Railway station for further assistance.
Despite efforts, the terrified child was unable to provide details about his native place or parents. The police later learnt that the boy’s school mates had played a prank on him, convincing him that local police in their village were searching for him. This prompted the child to run away from home and board the Nagpur special train to Margao.
To his horror, he was approached by policemen as soon as he alighted the train at Margao Railway Station, and it rendered him speechless.
With the boy refusing to divulge any information, the Konkan Railway Police initiated legal formalities and temporarily lodged the boy in Apna Ghar.
PI Sunil Gudlar, overseeing the case, directed the team to disseminate wireless messages with the boy’s description across Goa and neighbouring States. In response to the wireless messages, the Kudal Police approached the Konkan Railway Police, seeking details about the boy based on a complaint of kidnapping lodged by a local woman under Section 363 of the IPC.
Provided with a colour photograph of the boy, the woman identified him as her missing son. A team from Kudal Police, along with the boy’s mother, father and sister, visited the Konkan Railway Police station. After the necessary legal procedures and document verification, the minor boy was joyfully handed over to his mother, marking a heartening reunion.
