Two boys who ‘vanished’ from Katraj found in Goa

TWO boys aged nine years who reportedly fled from their houses in Katraj for a sightseeing trip to Goa were found by Railway Protection Force (RPF) in Margao Wednesday and returned to their families in Pune. The boys, however, maintained that they were kidnapped by unknown men who put them in a van when they were playing outside their residence in Navi Vasahat area of Katraj earlier this week. They claimed they had no clue how and when they reached Goa.
The police debunked this claim saying the boys went on a Goa tour taking a train from Pune Station.

“They wanted to see Goa. Kids have become curious these days. May be due to (exposure to) TV and films,” said a senior police officer attached to Bharati Vidyapeeth Police Station. He added that the boys decided to return after exhausting their funds.

According to RPF (Konkan Railway), the boys readily provided the mobile number of their parents who were called up and asked to reach Goa to take their custody.

“We found them at platform no. 2 of Margao Railway Station. On inquiry, the children told us that some unknown persons had picked them up from near their houses in Pune in a van,” said Konkan Railway Public Relations Officer Baban Ghatge.

(with PTI inputs)