PALAKKAD: A 21-year-old man, who went missing from Wayanad on June 27, was traced to Ambala in Haryana on Thursday based on the PNR number of his train ticket. He is being brought back to Kerala by Railway Protection Force (RPF) personnel, who said he was depressed due to a failed love affair. The youth left his home in Wayanad at 3am and the family members lodged a complaint with the police.
They also provided his photograph which was sent to all railway stations. Though the CCTV visuals were examined in various railway stations, the youth could not be found. Besides, he had not reserved a ticket in his name and had switched off his mobile, making it difficult to trace him. The youth boarded a train at Palakkad Junction station and alighted at the New Delhi railway station. He then booked a ticket to Chandigarh in Shatabdi Express by giving the mobile number of one of his family members.
When his relative received an alert on his phone about the ticket booked on July 1, he passed the PNR number to the RPF. C Girish, RPF Inspector (passenger security), Palakkad division, found out that the train was nearing the Ambala Cantonment station at that time with the assistance of the ‘Spot Your Train’ app. He immediately shared the photo, ID card image and other details to his counterparts in Ambala.
As the train reached the Ambala station, the RPF personnel detained him from the train.Railway officials said that in 2020, the RPF had rescued 85 children -- 77 boys and the remaining girls. Till June 30 this year, the RPF has rescued 55 boys and eight girls and reunited them with their families.