9-year-old walks up to police station to report stolen cycle: Here’s what happened next

Tarun, who studies in Class 4, went crying to his mother’s packaging factory where she worked as a labourer.

His mother, Dhanno Devi, told The Indian Express, “I told him to wait for a month at least as buying another bicycle would have been financially tough for us at the moment as we have to take care of three children… a good bicycle costs at least Rs 3,000 to 4,000… however, he was adamant that he wanted his cycle back anyhow.”

Tarun, whose father works at a plastic manufacturing factory and two sisters study in Classes 9 and 12, had received the cycle from a friend who gave it away as a gift after seeing his keenness to learn how to ride it.

The loss was particularly difficult to bear for Tarun as he had got the brakes repaired the same day the cycle got stolen.

Said Devi, “He got the cycle refurbished after taking some money from us… he was planning to take it to school as otherwise, he has to change two buses to reach there. He usually reaches late, after 8 am, when the classes have already begun…”

A week later, on another Wednesday, April 17, he spotted a patrolling team of Delhi Police, went up to one of the officers, and shared his ordeal.

Said SHO of Subzi Mandi Police Station, Inspector Ram Manohar Mishra, “We saw that the child was disheartened about his bike being stolen and his eyes had welled up…we brought him to the police station and asked him about details of the theft… he told us that he did not spot it outside his house when he came back from school.”

The SHO and his team took Tarun to a local cycle shop and within hours, he had a brand new bicycle.

“I thought that Tarun’s parents would not be able to afford a replacement immediately and noticed that the child was really attached to his bicycle. He told us that he will use the vehicle to ride to school, which usually takes him a very long time on a bus. So, I bought him the cycle at my personal expense,” said Mishra.

An elated Tarun told The Indian Express, “I knew Delhi Police officers will help me get back my cycle… I am happy that now I have got a new cycle, which is better than the previous one… I can now go to school quickly without getting scolded for reaching late.”