Faridabad rescue: Missing at 9, boy returns home as 15-year-old

Rescue followed tip-off on abuse; child traced family after sharing details. CWC seeks FIR, compensation; counselling underway for trauma recovery.

A nine-year-old boy who went missing during the Covid-19 lockdown in Faridabad in early 2020 was rescued from a dairy farm just 19km from his home, where he was allegedly kept as bonded labour for six years, police said on Wednesday.

Faridabad rescue: Missing at 9, boy returns home as 15-year-old

The rescue was carried out on April 16 by a joint team of the Faridabad child welfare committee (CWC) and police after receiving a tip-off about the assault and torture of a minor at Dhakola village in Tigaon, officials said. The boy, now 15, has been reunited with his family in Nehru Colony, officers said.

Santosh Vats, CWC chairperson, said the child is undergoing counselling. “He has suffered from mental and physical trauma from being kept as bonded labour and assaulted repeatedly by the farm owner. It will take time for him to overcome the situation he faced for six years,” he said.

Vats added that the committee has written to the police seeking registration of an FIR against the farm owner and appropriate legal action. “We have also written to the labour department to compensate the boy for the period he was forced to work without any pay at the farm,” he said.

According to another CWC member, the boy was able to provide details of his residence after being rescued, which helped officials trace his family. “We came to know that he had gone missing in early 2020 during lockdown time. He was playing with a few boys in the area when they ventured far and he got separated,” the official said.

The official added that two suspects on a motorcycle allegedly approached the child and offered him a lift. “Instead of taking him home, they took him to the dairy farm and kept him captive,” he said.

CWC officials, quoting family members, said no missing person complaint was formally registered at the time. The boy’s mother, a widow, “reportedly lost her mental balance after his disappearance,” officials added.

Inspector Ranbir (single name), station house officer of the Tigaon police station, said the family has been asked to submit a written complaint. “However, the boy’s maternal grandfather, with whom he is living, doesn’t want any legal action. We are in touch with CWC officials deciding the further course of action in the case,” he said.

Earlier in July 2025, HT reported a 15-year-old Bihar boy walked 150km with a severed left forearm to escape forced labour at a Haryana dairy farm. Lured with a ₹10,000 job promise, he was confined, starved, and injured on a chopper. Rescued by teachers and police in Nuh, his family seeks aid amid treatment.