11-year-old boy flees home, father approaches police fearing he's kidnapped
What's the story
Scolded by his family members, a Class 6 student left home for a few hours in Noida, prompting his parents to approach the police fearing a kidnap and the "ransom" amount being Rs. 5 lakh, officials said Tuesday.
The 11-year-old boy, who lives in Noida's Chhijarsi area, was peeved over his parents frequently scolding him, a police official said.
Here's more.
Details
Boy used to take money from the 'cash box' frequently
According to the police officials, the boy would often take some money from the 'galla' (cash box) and he did the same on Monday morning. He had taken Rs. 100, after which his uncle had also scolded him.
The boy later left home for school but instead, hitchhiked a ride from a stranger on a motorcycle to Bisrakh in Greater Noida, the police said.
The call
The boy asked his father to come quickly to Bisrakh
After reaching Bisrakh, he wandered around for some time but was soon starved and called home.
He requested a laborer to make a call from his own mobile phone.
"The boy called up his father and told him he had reached Bisrakh. He asked his father to come there 'in five minutes' and hung up," the police official said.
The phone was switched-off subsequently.
Surveillance
Family claimed that their child had been kidnapped
However, just after the phone call, the Phase 3 police station was alerted by the boy's family, which claimed that their child had been kidnapped and a ransom of Rs. 5 lakh has been demanded for his release.
Then the phone number was put on surveillance, but as it was switched off, the suspicion of kidnapping was raised further, the police official said.
Miscommunication
No FIR lodged after the police found the boy
"Soon, a local police team reached Bisrakh and kept trying the phone number which was switched on after some time. They located the number and reached the laborer and also found the boy wandering nearby," the policeman said.
No official complaint was lodged in connection with the incident
Meanwhile, the father of the boy said it turned out to be "a case of miscommunication".
Information
The child wasn't kidnapped but left home on his own
According to Akhilesh Tripathi, Station House Officer, Phase 3 police station, initially it appeared to be a case of kidnapping but later, it turned out that the child had left home on his own and made the call to his parents.