A startling case of negligence surfaced in Himachal Pradesh when a family on a pilgrimage from Uttar Pradesh left an eight-year-old boy behind at a roadside eatery and drove nearly 80 kilometers away without realizing he was missing. The child was eventually reunited with his parents after observant locals raised an alarm, prompting the local police to launch a swift investigation using traffic surveillance cameras to track down the group's vehicle.
Boy Forgotten After Breakfast Stop in Dhusara
The incident occurred in the Dhusara area under the Amb sub-division of Una district. A large family group traveling across regional pilgrimage shrines had halted at a roadside eatery for morning tea and breakfast. After finishing their meal, the travelers boarded their chartered Tempo Traveler and resumed their journey, completely failing to notice that the eight-year-old child had remained behind at the premises.
Community Alert and Immediate Police Protection
Finding himself completely alone among strangers, the young boy began to weep. Surrounding shopkeepers and residents immediately took notice of the distressed child. Social worker Vishal stated that upon receiving information about the stranded minor, he coordinated with others to notify the police immediately. A shopkeeper explained that the boy was secured and handed over directly to law enforcement officers, warning that travelers must avoid such extreme oversights. Police personnel arrived at the scene, took the child into protective care, and began tracing his guardians.
Tracking Down the Vehicle Through CCTV Footage
Because the young boy could not provide details about the vehicle's registration or his family's exact contact numbers, investigators faced an initial hurdle in locating the travelers. The police team quickly reviewed surveillance recordings captured by security cameras installed at Amb Chowk and adjoining road intersections. By analyzing the traffic footage, officers succeeded in identifying the Tempo Traveler. Using its registration details, they contacted the vehicle owner, who provided the contact information of the driver operating the trip.
Parents Discover Child Is Missing 80 km Down the Road
When police officers placed a telephone call to the driver and connected with the guardians, the family had already covered approximately 80 kilometers of highway. It was only during that official phone call that the parents realized their eight-year-old son was absent from the passenger cabin. The swift coordination by the police team averted what could have been a prolonged separation, ensuring the child was kept safe until his relatives could return to collect him.
Group of 21 Pilgrims from Lucknow on Temple Circuit
The family belongs to a group of 21 pilgrims originating from the Indra Kasba area under the Sadar police station limits in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh. The party had commenced their religious journey on 30 September, traveling by train to Jammu to visit the Mata Vaishno Devi shrine. From Jammu, the group hired a Tempo Traveler to visit prominent temples in Himachal Pradesh. On Tuesday, they paid obeisance at Mata Jwalaji and were en route to Mata Naina Devi via Mata Chintpurni when the stop at Dhusara led to the child being inadvertently left behind.
