Mumbai: Boy kidnapped' 4 years ago found, reveals left home

Mumbai: The police has solved the case of a 15-year-old boy going missing from his Thane residence four years ago only to find that the boy had fled home fearing flunking his Class nine examination. The police said that the boy had been staying with his friends in Navi Mumbai, and working with a caterer. The police tracked him after finding a bank account opened in his name at a bank in Nerul.

While his family and the Thane police went on a wild goose chase for four years, three other persons who learnt about the missing boy tried to extort money from his father and were arrested subsequently in 2015 but the boy could not be traced. Sumedh Chandra, now 19 years’ old, was reunited with his family members Wednesday.

Having appeared for his Class nine exams in 2015, Sumedh feared he would not clear them. After he went missing, the Vartak Nagar police registered a case of kidnapping against unknown persons as he was a juvenile. During the search for Sumedh, the family even received a call for ransom from a person who claimed that Sumedh was in his custody. Three persons were arrested but the boy could not be found in their custody and the hunt continued.

Finally, the officials found a bank account in Sumedh’s name at State Bank of India’s Nerul branch. After probing, the police learned that Sumedh would be visiting the branch office Wednesday. A team stayed put at the Nerul branch and the moment Sumedh walked in, they verified his identity and detained him.

“He subsequently revealed that he was not kidnapped and had left home on his own. We informed his family members and handed him over to them after confirming his claims,” said a Thane police officer.

Chandra cleared the class IX exam, however, he quit studies after fleeing from his home and had been working with a caterer. The bank account was for depositing his earnings, officers said.