Lost Boy Found: 18-Year-Old To Be Reunited with Family After 14-Yr Separation

Ranchi: An 18-year-old Raja, who has been living in a childcare home in Kerala after being separated from his parents when the family was migrating from Chaibasa in West Singhbhum to Howrah in a train in search of work in 2012, would be reunited with his family.
Raja had reportedly got off the train at some station during the train journey and boarded another which was on way to Kerala. He was shifted among several shelter homes in the state after being found in Ernakulam. He was moved to a govt aftercare home in Thalassery after he turned 18 around two weeks ago.
Md Ashraf OK, the former superintendent of the home, said, “The new superintendent and I spoke to Raja about his future. 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, which comprises individuals working on rescue and rehabilitation of missing children. A Koderma native associated with Mumbai-based Railway Children India organisation, Fardeen Khan, saw the message and approached Jharkhand-based social media influencer Aayush Rana, requesting him to share a video appeal.
“The boy remembered the names of his parents and siblings. He could recall that his house was in a village located on a hill in Chaibasa, and that a school was located nearby. Based on this information, Aayush created and shared a reel with my phone number, asking people to contact us if they had any information,” he added.
The reel, posted on February 17, received over 8,000 reposts, around 2.9 lakh shares, 1.49 lakh likes, and 1,000 comments. “Within 48 hrs of the post on a social media platform, I got a call from someone who saw the reel and recognised Raja as his cousin. He told us that the family had migrated to Bengal for work. We contacted them and arranged a video call between Raja and his mother,” Khan stated.
Jharkhand-based activist Baidnath Kumar, who also saw the message, coordinated with the local administration and police. He wrote to West Singhbhum DC, SP, and district child protection officer Punita Tiwari after speaking to Raja on call.
SP Amit Renu said, “The boy and the mother identified each other on a video call. We conducted due diligence and confirmed their identities.”
The administration confirmed that Raja’s family belonged to Hadimara village under the Sonua police station in Chaibasa.
Officer in-charge of the Sonua police station, Shashibala Bhengra, said, “The family, who had been working at a brick kiln in Bengal, has since returned to Chaibasa. The mother has identified Raja as her son. We are completing the paperwork, and a team will soon leave for Kerala to bring him back.”
Punita Tiwari said, “Arrangements are on to send police personnel and child protection officials to bring the boy back.”