A 14-year-old boy, who left his family in Rajasthan and fled to Tamil Nadu almost a month ago citing “academic pressure”, was rescued at the Saidapet Railway Station here on Wednesday.
The boy, identified as Gopal, had toured different of parts of north TN before reaching the city, sources with the Mambalam Railway Protection Force (RPF) said. “He can communicate in Tamil and Telugu as well. Enquiries revealed that he had learnt both south Indian languages from the workers in a marble factory, which was run by his father in Rajasthan,” an RPF official added.
Gopal apparently survived his month-long stint in TN with very little food. The boy claimed he could live on just water for at least three days. “I did not beg. But if anybody offered me food, I did not deny, as well,” an officer quoted Gopal as saying.
The RPF handed him over to the Child Helpline. Information pertaining to Gopal’s rescue was shared with Rajasthan police and the boy’s parents are en route to Chennai to take him back home.