Runaway Bihar teen who wanted to meet TV actor rescued from Malad

Malad Police rescued a 14-year-old boy from Bihar, who had been reported missing from his house and had come to Mumbai to get casted in the film and television industry. The teenager, son of a regional filmmaker in Bihar, had taken a flight and was staying in a Malad-based hotel since the last four days. When police learned of his presence in Malad after he withdrew cash, an official contacted him on the pretext of meeting for a television role, after which he was traced and handed over to his family.

The teenager, fan of a television series and its lead actor, had always wished to meet his favourite star. In a vague attempt to make his dreams come true, the teenager had run away from his hometown Begusarai and took a flight to Mumbai via Bengaluru, only to land up in a Malad-based hotel. The teen, who is a smart kid with excellent presence, then tried to meet the television actor Siddharth Nigam, who stars in a TV series, but was unable to do so. Meanwhile, the boy had not contacted any family or friends, and was well prepared to survive for a week, as he had stolen his father's debit card and cash.

The boy's parents had approached the police in Bihar and lodged a case of kidnapping while they were trying to piece together why and where their son went. On January 1, when the teen withdrew money from a Malad ATM vending machine, his parents were alerted about his location and immediately contacted their acquaintances, who roped in the Malad police. When the boy's Call Data Records (CDR) was pulled out, they observed that he was making calls to people from the film industry and soon the police contacted the teen on the pretext of being a casting agent from the show.

Police said, the teen was called near a shopping mall, from where he was picked up and brought to the police station. The boy's relative from Pune was also called and the family was reassured that their son is safe through a video call. Police then handed over the boy to the relative, thereby averting a major mishap.