Bokaro: Nearly five years after he went missing from his home in Assam’s Biswanath district, a 15-year-old boy was reunited with his mother in Bokaro on Thursday, officials said, bringing to an end a cross-state search that stretched over several years.
Identification at a shelter led to breakthrough
The teenager, identified in official records by the initials Vicky Baijun (name changed), had been staying at a Child Care Institution (CCI) in Bokaro after he was found without sufficient identity details. He went missing in March 2021 after leaving home to play, according to family accounts and welfare officials.
Leela Devi, chairperson of the Child Welfare Committee (CWC), Bokaro, said the boy could not provide adequate information about his family when he was first admitted to the shelter. The breakthrough came only last month when authorities generated an Aadhaar card for the youth, which produced an address linked to his native place in Assam.
- Initial disappearance: March 2021 in Biswanath district, Assam.
- Found in Bokaro: Detained at a local CCI without clear identity details.
- Identification: Aadhaar created last month provided an address; verification with Assam police followed.
- Reunion: After documentation and verification, the boy was handed over to his mother in Bokaro.
Verification and cross‑state coordination
CWC and CCI staff in Bokaro carried out regular counselling and interactions with the teenager, which helped gather details used during identity verification, the chairperson said. The CCI coordinated with the district child protection unit (DCPU) and with police authorities in Assam to trace the boy’s family.
Following verification of identity and family details, the boy’s mother and brother travelled to Bokaro to complete the reunion. District child protection officer Anita Jha described the handover as a moment of "immense happiness and satisfaction" for all stakeholders involved.
"It feels as if God has returned my lost child to me," the boy's mother said after meeting him for the first time in nearly five years.
Legal formalities and child protection procedure
Officials said the CWC, DCPU and other relevant agencies completed required legal formalities before releasing the teenager to his family. The case highlights processes used when children with uncertain identity are located in another state: initial care and counselling at a recognised child‑care institution, identity establishment through documentation such as Aadhaar, and inter‑state police coordination for family tracing and verification.
| Activity | Responsible agency |
|---|---|
| Shelter and counselling | Child Care Institution (Bokaro) / CWC |
| Identity establishment (Aadhaar generation) | CCI / Local authorities |
| Family tracing and verification | Assam police with coordination from Bokaro CWC/DCPU |
| Handover to family | CWC / DCPU |
Leela Devi said the address surfaced in records possibly because an Aadhaar enrolment had been done earlier by the parents. The CCI and village teams from the Sahayog project regularly counselled the teenager and collected information that eventually helped officials establish crucial links to his native place.
Officials involved thanked the police and child‑welfare bodies that assisted in tracing the family. The reunion, they said, underlines the role of documentation and inter‑agency coordination in resolving long‑running missing‑persons cases, particularly when they cross state boundaries.
The boy was handed over to his mother and brother after completion of all statutory procedures, and was taken home to Assam, officials said.
