Missing for 2 years Delhi boy found working at dhaba in UP

New Delhi, Jun 26 (PTI) A teenage boy who allegedly left his home in Delhi’s Shahdara after being scolded by his parents was found two years later working at a roadside eatery (dhaba) in Uttar Pradesh’s Saharanpur, an official said on Thursday.
    Shankar Shah (13) had been missing since January 30, 2023, after allegedly leaving home.
    “A case of kidnapping was registered the same day at the Farsh Bazar Police Station based on a complaint filed by his father, Lalit Shah, a resident of Bihari Colony,” Deputy Commissioner of Police (Shahdara) Prashant Gautam said.
    The police issued hue and cry notices, disseminated information to all district police across India, and circulated Shankar’s photo through Doordarshan, the CBI, the National Crime Records Bureau, and the Missing Persons Squad, the DCP added.
    Shankar’s details were also published in newspapers and internal police bulletins, and a reward of Rs 10,000 was announced in August 2023 for information leading to his whereabouts.
    The breakthrough came on May 20, 2025, when Shankar allegedly made a phone call to his father using an unknown number.
    “Investigators obtained the call detail records (CDR) of the number, which helped trace the boy’s location to Feru Majra village in the Saharanpur district of Uttar Pradesh. The boy was recovered on June 12, and after completing all legal formalities, reunited with his family the next day,” Gautam stated.
    During questioning, Shankar revealed that after leaving home in 2023, he boarded a train from the Anand Vihar Railway Station without knowing its destination.
    Shankar disembarked in Saharanpur and began working at a dhaba, where he stayed for over two years. The dhaba owner provided him with food and shelter.

(This story has not been edited by THE WEEK and is auto-generated from PTI)