Child lost amid train journey in 2012 to return home from Kerala

Ranchi: Raja (18), who has been living in a childcare home in Kerala after being separated from his parents during a train journey in 2012, is set to reunite with his family. His family was moving from Chaibasa in West Singhbhum to Howrah when Raja got off the train at one station and boarded another train to Ernakulam. Over the years, he was shifted from one shelter home to another. Two weeks ago, he was moved to a govt aftercare home in Thalassery after he turned 18.Mohammed Ashraf O K, who served as superintendent of the home until recently, said, "The new superintendent and I spoke to Raja and he told us he wanted to find his family. We then reached out to our contacts across the country, seeking help."Ashraf shared Raja's details on a messaging app group that comprised individuals working on rescue and rehabilitation of missing children. Fardeen Khan, a Koderma native associated with Mumbai-based Railway Children India who saw the message, contacted Jharkhand-based social media influencer Aayush Rana to share the boy's details in a video."The boy told us the names of his parents and siblings. He recalled his house in a hilly village in Chaibasa and a nearby school. Rana used this info, made a reel and shared it with my phone number, asking viewers to contact us if they had any info," Ashraf said.The reel, posted on Feb 17, received over 8,000 reposts, around 2.9 lakh shares, 1.49 lakh likes and 1,000 comments. "Within 48 hours, I got a call from someone who recognized Raja as his cousin. He said the boy's family had migrated to Bengal for work. We contacted them and arranged a video call between Raja and his mother," said Khan.Jharkhand-based activist Baidnath Kumar, who saw the reel, asked West Singhbhum police and district child protection officer Punita Tiwari to act after talking to Raja on a video call. The administration confirmed that Raja's family belonged to Hadimara village under Sonua police station in Chaibasa. Kumar said no missing child complaint had been filed when Raja disappeared.Officer in-charge of Sonua station Shashibala Bhengra said, "The family, who worked at a brick kiln in Bengal, has returned to Chaibasa. The mother identified Raja as her son. We are completing the necessary paperwork and a team will leave for Kerala to bring him back."