Mankhurd: Two boys escape from children’s home twice in a month, caught

Police said the children were spotted at a subway near Churchgate station the first time on April 29. (Image for representational purpose)

TWO MINOR boys, aged 10 and 11 years, attempted to escape from Mankhurd children’s home twice in a month. The first time, on April 29, they were caught by the police officers on patrol and handed over to the home authorities. On May 5, they were spotted at the same place again. They had then told the police that they were trying to escape because they were being served poor quality food at the home.

Police said the children were spotted at a subway near Churchgate station the first time on April 29. Senior inspector Vasant Wakhare from Azad Maidan police station said: “After we spotted them, we took them to the police station as a precaution. The duo alleged that they had fled from their homes in Gujarat. So, after informing the local police, we took them to the Mankhurd children’s home.”

There, the officers came to know that the boys had fled the children’s home on April 19. “A missing complaint had been registered in this regard at the Trombay police station… they were also looking for the children,” said Wakhare.
Senior Inspector Sunil Gaokar from Trombay police confirmed that the children home officials had registered a missing complaint on April 19.

On May 5, the children were again spotted at the same subway. “They were again brought to the police station. They claimed that they had been escaping from the home, as they are being served poor quality food. They said that they were tired of eating the same food every day. So, they escaped and came to south Mumbai,” said Sub-Inspector Ganesh Jadhav.

Asked about their escape route, the duo did not say anything, said an officer. “Both the children are smart. They know if they reveal their escape route, then the home officials would keep a close watch. It took more then two hours to get their names,” Jadhav said.

The superintendent of the children’s home, Rahul Kanthikar, said: “A few children are addicted to drugs while a few of them have a habit of begging. They flee to go out and indulge in such activities.”

Dr Asha Bajpai, the chairperson of a High Court committee that conducted a study on differently-abled children staying in homes, said: “Children this age take risks. They are running away because they are not getting what they require… They are at a very sensitive age, and need nutrition and good entertainment. But they are not getting anything. Their energies need to be channelised.”