10-year-old Vivek Patil aka Popat, who made headlines after going missing twice in four days in April, has done it again
10-year-old Vivek Patil aka Popat, who made headlines after going missing twice in four days in April, has done it again
AT the young age of 10, Vivek Patil has already developed an unshakeably flighty reputation.
The boy, who made headlines, including in this paper, for going missing twice in four days in April, has repeated the feat twice since the last attempt was on Thursday and was yet to be traced at the time of going to press.
Vivek Patil aka Popat with his mother Pushpa
Patil, aptly nicknamed Popat, went missing on July 7, barely four days after he was reunited with his family since his last attempt at running away.
His distraught mother, Pushpa, who was rustling up lunch on Thursday when Popat flew away, so to speak, said, "Usually he goes out and returns within a few hours. But, this time, I couldn't locate him after searching our entire Mankhurd colony for hours. I was left with no choice but to approach the police."
It was only in June that Pushpa had sent Popat to a religious school in Alandi Village, Pune, where the students are made to recite 'abhangas' and study scriptures.
Popat, however, disappeared from the dharmshala on July 1. He was traced by the local cops and brought back to his Mankhurd home on July 3, from where he disappeared four days later.
Previous attempts
MiD DAY had reported on April 21 ('10-year old lost and found twice') how Popat had gone missing from his home in Mankhurd and had met with a minor accident, which had landed him at the JJ hospital for treatment. He was reunited with the family by the police two days later.
But, the next day, the boy went missing once again from the hospital this time and was traced to the Mulund station, where he had fallen off a train and had sustained some minor injuries.u00a0And, just like before, he was spotted by the GRP, who rushed him to MT Agarwal hospital in Mulund (West).
Why so flighty?
Vivek's uncle, Sanjay Patil, said, "When he went missing before, he would return in a few hours. But, these four incidents of him going missing for days have terrified the entire family.
He used to stay with his grandmother in the village and I think he does not like the city and might want to go back there. His parents live apart and that may also be a cause behind his running away."
Refusing to speculate about the reasons behind Popat going missing, Pushpa said she just wanted her young boy to come back. "He enjoys music and dancing a lot. He just runs out of home and, most times, we find him standing or dancing at local functions. I hope the police find him soon," she said.
"Vivek stays with his mother and sister and has gone missing several times. We have alerted other police stations and taken down a missing complaint," said Shankar Singh Rajput, senior inspector, Mankhurd police station.
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