Father turns to godman to find 'lost' child in Ranchi

RANCHI: Piyush Bhushan Sharma, a 11-year-old student of JP Jalan School in Tupudana, was last seen by his father Braj Bhushan Sharma on August 3 on Hatia's Gurudwara road. The heartbroken father issued a heartfelt appeal for help in tracing his son. Piyush rushed out of the house after his mother scolded him for not taking his studies seriously. When he did not return home that evening, Braj Bhushan and his wife made several frantic calls to relatives and family friends enquiring about Piyush's whereabouts. "He (Piyush) does not have enough money on him is too young to survive out there on his own," Sharma said.The Sharma's filed a missing persons report with Jagannathpur police station, which was later converted into an FIR.While police have ruled out the possibility of kidnap, Sharma's search for his son has led him to a godman from Tarapith (located on the Jharkhand-West Bengal border). The godman assured Sharma that his son is alive. "Police also believe that only God and a miracle can bring my son back home,'' said Sharma. Despite seeking divine intervention, Sharma said police are still on the lookout for the 11-year-old. "Whenever we hear a knock at the door, we expect him to greet us," said Sharma. "I visited a number of railway stations and bus stands in search of him, but have had no luck in tracing my son," he said. Ranchi SSP Kuldeep Dwivedi said all possible measures are being taken to locate the missing child. "We have informed nodal officers of various anti-human trafficking cells across the country. We have published advertisements in newspapers, too. The government railway police have also been alerted. The officer-in-charge of the police station is monitoring the case," Dwivedi said. Since the family's extended family resides in Bihar, the police force in the neighbouring state have also issued public notices in newspapers with the hope of finding the missing child. "The case is being monitored closely," said Singh.