Boy who left house one year ago on his own to visit Vaishno Devi temple rescued from Jammu

According to police, on August 28, 2015, the parents of the 14-year-old boy had filed a missing complaint at Shahbad Dairy police station in Outer Delhi alleging that their son had gone outside his house but did not come back.

Despite one year of investigation, the district police were unable to trace him. On August 28, this year the case was transferred to the Crime Branch. When a team was constituted and his parents were questioned, they told police that in August this year they received a missed call from an unknown number that was later found out to be from Jammu and Kashmir.

Family members stated that they have no relatives in Jammu and Kashmir, whereas, the impugned mobile number was found to be of Jammu and Kashmir circle. The team took the missed call seriously and worked very hard on the subscriber details, location and other relevant coordinates of the said mobile number.

“It got the clue that the boy was seen in Village Kajhali in Jammu. On this input, on September 8, the minor boy was rescued safely from the house of one Kailash,” said Ravindra Yadav, Joint Commissioner of Police (Crime Branch).

Kailash is in the business of transporting devotees to Vaishno Devi Shrine on mules and horses. He has seven daughters but no son. He found the child roaming in suspicious circumstances around his place. He enquired and found that the child had left his home without informing his parents and was in need of care and protection. Thus, he brought the child to his home and took care of him.

During the investigation, the boy stated that he had gone to Vaishno Devi for darshan on a bus in 2015 without informing his parents and stayed in Jammu on his own will due to the fear of being beaten by his parents if he returned back to Delhi. He had earlier too escaped from his home.

A statement under the Section 164 CrPC of rescued child has been recorded and custody of the child handed over to the parents after following due process of law. 

The child has not alleged any maltreatment. He has stated that he is not interested in studies and left on his own. He used to eat food in the “langar”, and roam about in Katra and Vaishno Devi. Later, Kailash took him to his home.