Cops trace missing four-year-old boy, grandfather

Indore: A four-year-old boy and his grandfather who had gone missing from their PWD Colony home on Monday while their family was away, were traced by the police.The grandfather, who suffers from severe memory loss had taken the child along and lost his way. Police registered a case under BNS and formed eight teams, scanned CCTV footage, and circulated photos. Both were found safe 3 km away from home and reunited with their family.On Monday, the child's mother approached Palasia police station stating that her father-in-law and her minor son had gone missing from their residence between 2 and 3 pm. The family had returned from a wedding procession to find both missing. Despite searching in the neighbourhood, there was no trace of them.She told the police that the elderly man suffered from severe memory issues and often forgot routes and details. He was not carrying a mobile phone, and the child, was with him. The family feared that someone might have taken advantage of his condition and misled them.Acting immediately, police registered a case and launched a large-scale search operation. Under the supervision of senior officers, eight teams were formed and deployed across different locations, including bus stands, railway stations, hotels, temples, gardens and other public spaces. CCTV footage was scanned and photographs of the missing persons were circulated widely on social media platforms, including WhatsApp.Given the child's age, teams also combed secluded and shadow areas to rule out any untoward possibility. Technical inputs and footage analysis helped police trace the route taken after they left home. After sustained efforts through the night, a breakthrough came around 2 am when the duo was located nearly 3 km away from their residence.Both the child and the elderly man were found safe and were brought back to the police station. After completing formalities, the child was handed over to his parents.