Cops rescue teen who fled to Mumbai for dance audition

Nagpur: A 16-year-old Class 9 student from Kotwali area in central Nagpur fled to Mumbai on Feb 20 with Rs 1,500 and a mobile phone, leaving behind a note in school notebook declaring her determination to become a dancer and "become someone big" in Bollywood.Frustrated by her conservative family's staunch opposition to her Bollywood ambitions, she refused to let their resistance clip her wings. Dreaming of dancing in the spotlight and shining on the silver screen, the teen chose to run away and pursue stardom on her own. She was rescued and brought back home after 3 days.
She went to the Nagpur railway station in a rickshaw at dawn, where she boarded Geetanjali Express bound for Mumbai. Reaching Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus (CST) around 1am the following day, she hailed a taxi directly to Borivali.A Google search led her to believe a dance audition was happening there between Feb 23 and 28. Bursting with hope, she arrived at the promised address but could not track down the venue. Fear and despair quickly replaced excitement. The teenager called her family for help. In Nagpur, her frantic family had already rushed to Kotwali police station. The cops discovered the note during a room search and reconstructed her escape.Under the supervision of zonal DCP Rahul Madane, senior inspector Ritesh Aher's team examined CCTV footage, confirming the girl — backpack in tow — boarding the train. They promptly alerted Mumbai's railway protection force (RPF) and govt railway police (GRP) at Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus.Head constable Rahul Chutte and Constable Hemlata Sheulukar boarded the next available train to Mumbai to join the search.On Feb 21, as the disheartened teenager drifted back to the station — dream in tatters — alert GRP and RPF officers spotted her, matching the description and images. They gently took her into custody and shifted her to the safety of Dongri shelter home.Nagpur police arrived that afternoon, with her father close behind. Sunday brought a procedural wait as Child Welfare Committee formalities and counselling were scheduled for Monday. Once complete, she was handed over to her family.On Monday evening, she boarded the return train to Nagpur, this time escorted by cops and her father. Kotwali police registered a case of kidnapping, and the case was handed over to asst sub-inspector Dinesh Bhatakar.SI Aher stated that teenagers leaving home to chase dreams could be risky. He said parents must communicate well with their children and provide positive counselling.