Mumbai:
Even as the family of 6-year-old Karnit Shah rejoices in his return after he went missing from his Kandivli residence on April 6, another city boy who had gone missing was found - a second time. But unlike Karnit, Vivek's story repeats itself, in the same manner, twice.
Vivek Patil, fondly known as Popat in his colony, went missing from his home in Mankhurd on April 15. But cops found the boy at CST station, where he was lying fallen on a platform, on Sunday. As he had suffered a head injury, he was rushed to JJ Hospital. But again, on Monday, the boy went missing from his hospital ward, only to be found again at Mulund station.
Vivek, resting on the hospital bed, said, "
Mi bara ahe (I am fine)." Asked where he had gone, he answered promptly, "I was roaming in the train and I enjoyed jumping on the platform."
"I had gone to visit my neighbour. When I returned, my daughter Rupali said that Popat had gone out. I started looking for him but he was nowhere to be seen. So we immediately filed a complaint at the Mankhurd police station," said Vivek's mother, Pushpa. While the family was frantic, the police started their own search for the boy who studies in Standard I of Mohite Patil School in Mankhurd. On Sunday, they found him on CST platform, after he had fallen off a train. Seeing him injured, the Government Railway Police (GRP) rushed him to the nearby St George hospital. He had suffered a skull fracture and minor bruises, and the same night, was transferred to JJ hospital, where he was admitted in ward number 41. The police questioned him so they could find his family. "The GRP cops said that he initially told them he was from Bhandup and then Chembur before revealing he was from Mankhurd. They checked with the Mankhurd police who located us. We were happy to find our little boy," said Pushpa.
But the joy was short lived. On Monday evening, Vivek sneaked out of the ward and away from the hospital premises. "He had dropped water on his hospital robes so I changed him into casual clothes. Then I went to the washroom. When I returned, his cot was empty," said Pushpa. While the family hopelessly mourned Vivek's second flight, lamenting their luck a second time, cops found the boy, again, at a station platform. Just like before, he had again fallen off the train at Mulund station, and just like before, he was spotted by the GRP, who rushed him to MT Agrawal hospital in Mulund West.
This time, the police found it difficult to trace Vivek's parents as he told them that his name was Divyesh. He was also not able to provide a proper address. "One of our officers saw him when he fell on the station. He was bleeding from his ear. So he was rushed to the hospital. From that minute onward, we started looking for his parents. After repeatedly asking him, the confused child said he belonged to an area called Mohite Patil (his school). Then we discovered that a young boy had gone missing from Mankhurd. That's how we traced his parents," said SM Dungre, Kurla GRP. Khanderao Patil, Senior Inspector, JJ Marg police station, where a report was lodged after he snuck out of JJ Hospital, said, "The boy was traced by the Kurla GRP who got in touch with us. We have informed the family and the child will be handed over to the parents."
After seeing his record of escaping from home, hospital doctors suspected that he was troubled. "Since he had suffered a skull fracture and minor injuries, we planned to refer him to a psychologist so he gets rid of the habit," a doctor said. Confirming that Vivek had gone missing from their premises, the dean of JJ Hospital, Dr T P Lahane, said, "We even checked the CCTV footage but we couldn't see the child. We informed the JJ Marg police about the incident. Our doctors and staff did their duties with utmost dedication. The parents must look after the child." Dr Vikrant Tikone, MT Agrawal Hospital, said, "The child was brought late in the night by the police. He was stable and conscious. But as he had no relatives, we preferred to keep him in the hospital's ICU for better observation. He was unable to recall his name but kept insisting that if taken on the road he will be able to tell the way home."
Vivek's uncle, Sanjay Patil, who came all the way from Kolhapur, said, "We are happy that we have found him again. I have decided to speak to his parents about how he seems to have developed this likeness for travelling in trains. Before, when he went missing for hours, he'd return. But these two incidents have terrified the entire family." Said Pushpa, "He enjoys music and dancing a lot. He just runs out of the home and, most of the times, we find him standing or dancing at local functions."