JEE Aspirant, 17, Who Went Missing From Kota Rescued From Kerala

A 17-year-old JEE aspirant in Rajasthan's Kota who had been missing for five months was rescued from Kerala's Thiruvananthapuram, police said on Saturday.

The boy from Bihar went missing after leaving his hostel room in October. He was recovered from Thiruvananthapuram's Shivgiri area on Thursday and handed over to his parents after being counselled.

Superintendent of Police (Kota City) Amrita Duhan said in a press note that the boy, who hails from Raghopur-Supaul in Bihar, had been preparing for the Joint Entrance Examination (JEE) in Kota and living in a hostel in the Vigyan Nagar area.

His father lodged a missing person's report on November 9, stating that his son had left the hostel on October 5 and did not return.

Acting on the complaint, the police' anti-human trafficking cell began inquiries. However, the boy had changed his mobile number and social media accounts, Mr Duhan said.

A police team, acting on an input, reached Kerala on March 8 and, after an extensive search, rescued the boy on Thursday, she added.

The boy revealed that instead of spending years preparing for JEE, qualifying Class 12 and getting a job through campus placement, he wanted to do something big through online trading, the police said.

Since he liked the sea, he moved to Black Beach in Shivgiri's Varkala.

The boy was produced before the Child Welfare Committee on Friday and handed him over to his parents, Mr Duhan said.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)