Bengaluru: A 13-year-old boy who went missing from his home in south Bengaluru after being reprimanded by his father for bringing home aquarium fish without informing the family has been traced safely and reunited with his parents, police said.
The Class 7 student had left home on his bicycle after an argument with his father, prompting his family to file a missing person’s complaint. Police initially registered a kidnapping case before tracing the boy.
Dispute over aquarium fish led to boy leaving home
According to the complaint filed by the boy’s mother, a tailor, the incident followed a similar episode that had taken place a little over two weeks earlier. On that occasion, the boy had brought home aquarium fish, after which his father, who runs a roadside tea stall, allegedly scolded and beat him.
The boy had then left home and was later found in Jayanagar after calling his mother from a stranger’s phone. He was brought back by his parents.
However, on July 27, the boy again returned from school carrying aquarium fish. Upset over the repeated incident, his father allegedly questioned him for spending money on fish instead of concentrating on his studies, slapped him twice and asked him to attend his tuition classes before leaving for work.
Police said the boy had allegedly taken ₹200 from his father’s trousers before leaving the house.
Traced to grandmother’s house
About 45 minutes after the argument, the boy left home on his bicycle, telling his family that he was going to give the fish to a friend. When he did not return, his family searched for him before approaching the police.
A senior police officer said the boy was traced on Friday at his grandmother’s house. He had reportedly not informed her about the incident or the circumstances under which he had left home.
The boy has since been reunited with his family, and further action will be taken as part of the ongoing inquiry.