RANCHI: In an unusual incident, a boy who went missing at the age of six was reunited with his family after 12 years with the help of police on Tuesday.
The boy, identified as Raja Gope and now 19 years old, had accidentally boarded the wrong train as a child and ended up in Kerala.
Raja Gope, who now plays for a football club in Kerala, speaks Malayalam and Hindi fluently but has forgotten his native language, Ho, after spending years in the southern state.
According to police, Gope was only six when he got separated from his father while travelling to a brick kiln in neighbouring West Bengal. He boarded a train heading towards Kerala instead of West Bengal and eventually reached Ernakulam.
He was later rescued by some child rights activists and placed in a children’s home.
At the time, Gope could only recall the first names of his parents and that he belonged to Chaibasa in Jharkhand, but he could not remember the name of his village.
“About a month back a message was passed by Child Welfare Committee (CWC) Trichur in Kerala that there is a child who has been staying there for the last 12 years and says that he belongs to Chaibasa in Jharkhand. According to the message, he remembers the name of his father, mother and sisters,” said the officer in charge of Sonua Police Station, Shashi Bala Bhengra.
The boy also shared the location of his village, saying that his home was located near a hillock beside a school, she added.
Since the name of the village could not initially be identified, and considering the seriousness of the matter, the Chaibasa Superintendent of Police directed all police stations in the district to verify the location and the names of the parents shared by the boy.
“The identity of the boy and other details were also circulated on social media platforms, following which a family came to us and said that their son was lost 12 years back. After verifying all the details, a special police team went to Trichur on March 8 and brought Gope back on March 10,” said the officer in charge.
The same day, Gope was handed over to his parents, she added.
The officer in charge said that it was quite satisfying to reunite the child with his family members.
According to the officer, the entire Harimara village in the Sonua area welcomed Gope as students from his school organised a procession beating drums and nagaras, while women performed a tribal dance.
The boy was seen embracing his mother and four sisters.
The family expressed gratitude to the Chaibasa police and said that, with the help of the police initiative and social media, their son was able to return home.
Mother Mani Gope said that she wants her son to stay with the family, but he plays football in Kerala and has to complete his studies.
“I don’t want to stop him. At least, we know he is alive and doing well,” said mother Mani Gope.
Raja Gope was also seen very happy after meeting his family.
“I will support my mother and sister and, after getting a good job, will take them to Kerala,” said Raja Gope.
Police said multiple agencies, including the Jharkhand and Kerala administrations, were involved in the effort to reunite Gope with his family.
West Singhbhum Superintendent of Police Amit Renu had earlier said that an NGO alerted authorities, after which Gope’s village was traced.