Bokaro: Nearly five years after he went missing while stepping out to play, a 15-year-old boy from Assam’s Biswanath district was reunited with his mother in Bokaro on Thursday, bringing an emotional end to a search that had stretched across years and states.Vicky Baijun (name changed) had disappeared in March 2021 after leaving home to play. Despite months of searching, visits to relatives and repeated approaches to police, his family failed to get any clue about his whereabouts.The breakthrough came in Bokaro, where Baijun had been staying at a childcare institution. He was unable to provide sufficient details about his identity or family when he was first brought to the shelter home. Last month, authorities managed to generate an Aadhaar card for him, which helped establish crucial links to his native place, officials said.“His address appeared in the records, possibly because an Aadhaar enrolment had been done earlier by his parents. We immediately initiated verification and began efforts to trace his family,” said Leela Devi, chairperson of the Child Welfare Committee (CWC), Bokaro.The CWC and Child Care Institution (CCI) coordinated with police authorities in Assam, who traced Baijun’s family. After verification of his identity and family details, his mother and brother travelled to Bokaro to bring him home.The reunion was marked by emotional scenes. “The boy’s mother, Shelly (name changed), was crying uncontrollably when she saw him. It was an extremely emotional moment,” Devi said.Overwhelmed after meeting her son for the first time in nearly five years, Shelly said, “It feels as if God has returned my lost child to me.” She thanked officials and organisations involved in tracing him.Officials said CCI, Bokaro, and Sahayog village teams regularly counselled and interacted with the teenager, gathering information that eventually helped establish his identity and locate his family.After completion of legal formalities by the CWC, district child protection unit (DCPU), and other stakeholders, Baijun was handed over to his mother.Terming the reunion a moment of “immense happiness and satisfaction”, district child protection officer Anita Jha said, “It was the result of coordinated efforts by all agencies involved.”
