4 min readFaridabadMay 21, 2023 08:56 AM IST
First published on: May 21, 2023 at 04:31 AM IST
In 2012, when six-year-old Devraj, along with his two brothers, stepped out of his home in Faridabad’s Lakkarpur in search of his mother, little did he know that it would be almost a decade before he would see his family again.
Devraj’s mother had left home with his eldest brother in tow following a fight with his father Prem Bahadur, leaving the family distraught. Her three other sons — Devraj, Vishal, who was 7 years old then, and Gagan, then four — rushed after their mother, but lost her and, eventually, each other.
On Saturday, Bahadur was elated to finally see Devraj, now 15 and a class 8 student. The boy was reunited with his father after the district child protection unit along with the missing person helpline of Haryana Police found his whereabouts during a counselling session under Operation Muskaan — a scheme under which police rescue children from child labour and begging, and help rehabilitate them.
Faridabad Police spokesperson Sube Singh said nine years ago, Devraj had followed his two older brothers in search of their mother. “Their father thought they had gone along with their mother while the latter was not aware they left home at all. In 2016, we managed to find Vishal,” said ASI Krishan Lal, the officer heading the helpline.
Having worked closely with the family, Lal knew that two other children were also missing. “I was keen on finding them, but no leads surfaced for many years,” he said.
This year, though, Lal got a call from the Child Welfare Committee regarding a Nepali boy living in Karmarg Ashram. “I recognised him instantly, having rescued his brother six years ago. I asked if he remembered his father’s name, and fortunately, he could recount more than his name,” said Lal.
By then, the father had shifted from their old home. “Devraj told me their home was near a railway track, and that there was a temple in the vicinity. He also talked about a relative’s house, but we could not find it. Later, through an acquaintance, we got the address of the family,” said Lal.
Aparna, a counsellor at CWC, said Devraj had spent most part of his life away from home with an organisation called Miracle Charitable Organisation till it shut down in 2017. “Later, he came to Karmarg Ashram and had been going to school. I met him this year and informed ASI Krishan about this. There are not many Nepali kids and we hope to find the third missing boy soon,” she said.
Devraj wants to become an engineer when he grows up, she added.
For Devraj’s father, who had given up hope of finding him again, the reunion was a particularly emotional one. “He could not speak for some time when he saw the boy. He was overcome with emotions,” said Aparna.
The reunion has strengthened the resolve of Lal and his colleagues to find Gagan. “I am sure we will find him soon,” he said. However, little is known about the children’s mother and Devraj’s eldest brother.
Spokesperson Singh said that the missing person helpline has maintained its website since 2014 along with an Android app under the same name through which it is extending its services across the country.
ASI Lal said that through their website, 36,000 people across the country have been rescued.
ASI Lal said that through their website, 36,000 people across the country have been rescued. (Express Photo) 
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