Mother-daughter duo spend the entire duration of Justin Bieber's performance frantically searching for missing 13-year-old, only to discover she was watching the concert at another spot
Zenu Singh and (right) Reha Didwania
After travelling all the way from Delhi to catch Justin Bieber's concert, Ninni Singh and her daughter Zenu couldn't spare a glance for the pop star’s performance. Instead, they spent the entire duration of Bieber's routine frantically hunting for Zenu’s friend, Reha (13), who had disappeared into the crowd.
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As many as five kids went missing during the concert at DY Patil Stadium, which was bursting at the seams last night as tens of thousands of fans thronged there to catch the Love Yourself singer in action. The missing children were all carrying cell phones but could not be reached because of the congestion. All five were later found safely roaming about on the grounds.
While Ninni and Zenu, too, were reunited with Reha, they are upset that they didn’t get to listen to Bieber or watch him at all. Zenu and Reha – both 13 years old and Std VIII students – are huge fans of Bieber, and had managed to convince Ninni to accompany them to Mumbai for the concert. “The kids told me about Justin’s concert in Mumbai and suggested that they could go for it if I would accompany them,” said Ninni, a 45-year-old homemaker.
Bad beginning
But getting in and pushing their way towards the stage proved to be a nightmare, which only got worse when Reha went missing around 7 pm, an hour before Bieber began his performance. “I was trying to find a space in the crowd for girls to get in and be in the front when Bieber would perform. I told the girls not to leave my sight, and Zenu remained patient, even though people were pushing and yelling. But Reha lost her patience and went and sat near the exit,” said Ninni.
Ninni Singh
She continued her struggle to save a spot in the first row for the kids, and as the time for Bieber’s performance came close, she decided to call Reha to her side. “But when I turned around to call her, she was nowhere to be seen,” recalled Ninni. Mother and daughter searched high and low, but could not find the 13-year-old. Beside herself with worry, Ninni then complained to the cops.
No time for Bieber
By this time, Bieber had already started his performance, but Ninni was in no condition to enjoy it. “I was very upset and worried, I didn't care about the show at that point. We asked the police to make an announcement, but a senior officer said that we cannot make an announcement in the middle of Bieber’s concert,” said the middle-aged woman.
Over 40,000 people attended the Bieber concert last evening. PIC/SNEHA KHARABE
Reha, it turned out, got lost in the crowd and tried looking for her companions, but gave up after a bit. “I searched for Zenu and her mother, but could not find them. Then I bumped into some of my other friends who were there for the show, so I decided to just wait and enjoy Bieber’s performance,” said the teenager.
No such luck for Ninni and Zenu though, who spent the entire time anxiously waiting at the gate. “Instead of watching the show, I was waiting for Reha near the exit. My daughter was also upset that she couldn’t see Justin Bieber properly. “Finally, when the show was about to end, a common friend saw Reha standing with another friend. It was only when the show ended that we saw her coming out of the venue at around 10.15 pm, and could finally breathe easy,” added Ninni.”
5: No. of kids who were registered missing in the police diary
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