25 July,2017 07:04 AM IST | Mumbai | Faisal Tandel
A 16-year-old boy from Thane, who'd fled from home almost 10 months ago, was reunited with his family on July 20 through clues the police gained from a selfie he uploaded on Facebook
Representation pic
This selfie story does not end tragically. A 16-year-old boy from Thane, who'd fled from home almost 10 months ago, was reunited with his family on July 20 through clues the police gained from a selfie he uploaded on Facebook.
According to the police, the boy is a resident of Naupada and was an SSC student. He was residing with his paternal aunt and her daughter-in-law after his parents passed away. On September 23, 2016, he fled from home. His aunt registered a missing person's case at the Naupada police station, the investigation of which was handed over to the Child Protection Unit (CPU).
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Clues in the background
The CPU officials started looking for him among friends, relatives, traced him across railway stations and remand homes, but couldn't find him anywhere. "A few days ago, we received information that he has created an account on Facebook. He'd uploaded a selfie on the site, the background of which indicated that he was at a godown near a railway station," said Bharat Shelke, assistant commissioner of police, Thane crime branch.
"A woman constable chatted with him on Facebook, but he didn't respond with much. But, our officials got a clue about the railway station being CST. They went to platform number 18 of the station. After being shown the boy's picture, many people identified him, and later, we found him sitting near the luggage godown," said Y Sonawane, police sub-inspector, CPU.
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Fleeing for independence
On Friday, July 20, he was reunited with his aunt. "During interrogation, he said he felt uncomfortable after his parents died and did not want to be dependant on others. So, he fled from home to live an independent life. He confirmed he was residing with and working for a man who used to deliver parcels and luggage at the station. He has now been handed over to the family, as he said there was no harassment from their side and he ran away by himself," added Sonawane.
