Runaway kids come to Mumbai to ‘shop’

Nasra Moinkhan Pathan, Ali Mohammad Sakil Ahmed Sayyed and Muskan Vohra are all residents of Akota in Vadodara

Three children from Vadodara who left their homes on Monday to shop in the city's upmarket shopping hub in Lokhandwala were reunited with their families on Tuesday.

The trio, Nasra Moinkhan Pathan 16, Ali Mohammad Sakil Ahmed Sayyed 15 and Muskan Vohra 15, all residents of Akota in Vadodara are Std IX students.

On Monday, after their school exams got over, the trio watched a video of Andheri-Lokhandwala on social media and decided to visit Mumbai without informing their parents.

When the parents were unable to trace the children, they registered a missing person complaint with the JP Road police station at Vadodara on
Monday evening.

Speaking to mid-day, sub-inspector Rajani Salunkhe of Oshiwara police station said, "On Monday, three kids - Nasra Pathan, Ali Sayyed and Muskan Vohra - completed their exams and decided to visit Mumbai for shopping without informing their parents. They had seen a video on social media about street food and designer clothes available at cheap rates in Andheri Lokhandwala. After shopping, they were left with little money. They told the autorickshaw driver that they wanted to call their parents as they were in trouble."

"The auto driver gave his mobile phone to the children to call their parents, after which the Vadodara police were informed," Salunkhe added. "The relatives of the parents who live in Mumbai are with us," she said.

Sub-inspector Hitendra Vichare of crime branch Unit-1 also helped Gujarat police trace the missing children to Mumbai.

Police Inspector BG Chitarya of VP Road police station said, "After receiving information from the parents we traced the auto driver's location to Oshiwara, and asked him to take the kids to the police station. We also informed the Oshiwara police station about the kids and shared their photos. They all are safe and we are on the way to Mumbai with the children's parents."