Mumbai: Woman constable uses CCTV trail to reunite lost boy with family

Constable Jyoti Pawar, who traced the boy’s family via CCTV footage; (right) the 6-year-old boy who wandered off to visit a fair and got lost

A woman police constable attached to Goregaon police station traced the parents of a six-year-old boy who had been separated from his family late on Saturday night. Using CCTV footage, she launched a search operation and successfully reunited the child with his family by Sunday afternoon. According to police sources, the boy is a resident of Bhagat Singh Nagar No. 2. His family lives on the footpath and earns a livelihood through daily wage labour.

"He overheard someone talking about a fair in Azad Maidan, about a kilometre away, and decided to visit it on his own without informing his family. Curious and unaware of the distance, the boy wandered off and eventually lost his way. In the early morning hours of Sunday, a police patrolling team found him crying and alone near Azad Maidan," said a source from the Goregaon police station.

The boy reunited with his parents at Goregaon police station

The patrolling team found the child in a distressed state. When questioned, he could only recall his name and was unable to provide his address. He was comforted by the officers and brought to the police station, where he was handed over to PSI Suryabhan Gholap. The case was then transferred to Woman Constable Jyoti Pawar from the Missing Persons Department.

"The boy had fallen asleep crying, so we waited for him to wake up. When asked, he could only tell us his name. He didn't know where he lived," Pawar said. Under the guidance of DCP Anand Kumar Bhoite and on the instructions of Senior Inspector Rishikesh Pawal, the investigation began. Pawar and her team reviewed footage from over 35 CCTV cameras as part of a reverse-tracking operation, tracing the boy's movements back to Bhagat Singh Nagar.

"Surprisingly, the family didn't even realise the boy was missing. Before they could discover his absence, we had already located them and arrived with the child," she added. The family was brought to the police station for verification, and in the presence of senior officers, the boy was reunited with them by noon.

Constable Pawar has been posted at Goregaon police station for the past four-and-a-half years and has served in the Missing Persons Department for two-and-a-half years. She told mid-day that during this time, her team has successfully traced and reunited over 100 missing men, women, and children, not just from Maharashtra, but from other states as well.

ACP Hemant Sawant confirmed to mid-day that the child had been safely reunited with his family and praised the dedication of the police team, especially Constable Jyoti Pawar.