CHENNAI: Not liking his parents' constant nagging about him playing online games, a 15-year-old boy allegedly disappeared from the house on Friday. Before leaving, he packed with him Rs 33 lakh cash and 213 sovereigns of gold ornaments. His plan was to fly to Nepal, away from his parents, and play online games without any disturbance. He had also discarded his old mobile phone, bought an iPhone, and changed his SIM card. However, the police were quick to find him.
The police said the class 11 student stayed with his father, a contractor with Metro Water, and his mother, a college professor, at the Old Washermenpet area. As he used to play online games all the time, he was often confronted by his parents. "Recently, his parents brought curfew on his screen time much to his dislike. Following this, he had frequent fights with them," said the police.
On Wednesday, after his father left for work, he went out of the house to meet his friend and did not return until late evening. "As he usually returned home by evening, his parents lodged a missing complaint," said Inspector of Police Franvin Dani. Meanwhile, when the family started looking for him, they noticed Rs 33 lakh kept in the bureau and 213 sovereigns of ornaments missing.
Washermenpet Deputy Commissioner R Shiva Prasad constituted a special team under Inspector Franvin Dani and expedited the investigation. By that time, the boy had discarded his old mobile phone, bought an iPhone and a new SIM card. He also booked flight tickets to Nepal, which was bound to depart on Thursday morning at 4 am. The police said that they contacted the boy's close friend whom he texted his plans to leave for Nepal. He had discarded his mobile phone so that he could not be traced with the IMEI number at the lodge he was staying.
However, with the help of cybercrime officers, the police found the location. "The boy had also booked a room at a hotel in Tambaram to stay near the airport," said Inspector Franvin Dani. Later, the police team brought him back to Washermenpet and reunited him with the family, along with the valuables.