mid-day editorial: Don't prey on families that have lost loved ones

Yesterday, this paper carried a report about a 16-year-old boy who has been missing for 10 months now. The boy disappeared from a ground near his home in Mulund in February. There has been no word from him since then.

Desperate times call for desperate measures. With the family having exhausting all other avenues to locate the teen, they have now started making rounds of godmen and babas. The police claim that investigations are ongoing, but there has been little headway there.

This heartbreaking wait will resonate with every family. There can be no worse fate than not knowing what has become of your loved one. Living in hope every day, and despairing as the sun slips away with still no news of the missing person.

One person, lured by the prospect of a reward, claimed he had some information about the boy, but the police caught him in his lies. There is nothing as despicable as fraudsters seeking to capitalise on the desperation and black despair of a family on the hunt for their missing relatives. To try and con them, take money as reward for false and misleading information is heinous. These charlatans should be charged with extortion and treated accordingly.

While one can sympathise with the mental state of the family, they too must be on their guard, for we live in a world where there are always people willing to take advantage of bad situations. Follow every lead and scrap of information assiduously, but also be wary of being led up the garden path. Exercise caution, especially when it comes to parting with money for information. If you are going down the psychic route, do so with restraint and utmost care, as this can be a dark and dangerous path. Be circumspect in your search, however frantic you may be, and put common sense and logic above all.