KOCHI: Life is full of contradictions… and concoctions! While some kids are academically inclined, but lack flair and original thinking, there are others with natural talent who are keen to skip the rigours of learning.
Take the case of an 11-year-old boy who came up with a near-brilliant tale involving his abduction attempt, which forced police officers to launch a manhunt for supposed culprits in Koovapadam, Mattancherry. The sixth grader is believed to have cooked up the narrative to get his parents, who kept insisting him to study for the upcoming school examination, off his back, said officers.
Around 5.30pm on Thursday, the boy frantically made his way home to inform his parents about an attempt to kidnap him. “He said that after alighting from the school bus and walking towards the house, a white car came towards him. Some people in the car forced him into the vehicle. However, he punched a man using a technique seen on YouTube, compelling them to release him. But [wait for it!] he could not retrieve his school bag, which remained in the car,” said Manoj K R, assistant commissioner of police, Mattancherry, recounting the boy’s version.
His parents panicked and immediately informed local police and neighbours. Officers reached their home to talk to the boy. Without any delay, a search was launched for those involved in the abduction attempt.
“Based on the description of the car given by the child, we alerted all police stations in Kochi. We also examined CCTV cameras in the area. Footage showed the boy emerging from the school bus but did not reveal cars fitting the boy’s description. The search operation lasted nearly two hours,” Manoj said.
Suspecting foul play, Manoj ordered officers to conduct a thorough search of the area. This yielded the boy’s school bag, which was found discarded behind a shop. “We had our doubts from the start but did not want to take a risk, in case there was even an iota of truth in the child’s version. After the bag was retrieved, we spoke to the child again. He spilled the beans,” the ACP said.
Manoj, however, directed officers not to startle the child during questioning. “We did not even ask him why he made up the episode. He was already terrified when we returned his bag. We also advised his parents not to admonish him in this regard,” he said.