Mumbai boy runs away after father scolds him, found dead in jungle five days later

Mumbai officers said he had drowned and there were no external injuries on his body, indicating he was not assaulted.

A 11-year-old boy, who ran away from his Juhu home after being scolded by his father, was found dead in an Andheri jungle five days later.

Rushi Waghela, 11, who ran away from home on Wednesday. (HT)

Officers said he had drowned and there were no external injuries on his body, indicating he was not assaulted..

The Juhu police said Rushi Waghela was a resident of Prem Nagar in Irla, Vile Parle (West). He lived with his parents and two brothers.

After returning from school on Wednesday, he played carom with his friends near his house. He then went home, where his father scolded him, said an officer.

Rushi left the house at 7pm. His parents waited for him to return till 11pm, but when there was no sign of him, they approached the Juhu police station, where — according to Supreme Court guidelines — a case was registered against an unidentified person under section 363 (kidnapping).

Around 50 locals had started searching for Rushi. An Irla resident said he spotted Rushi, but the boy ran off before he could inform anyone.

Rushi’s parents said they put up missing person’s posters all around Juhu, hoping someone would come forward with information.

On Sunday night, police said they were informed that a decomposed body had been found at a jungle area in Yari Road.Police identified the boy as Rushi, based on the clothes he was last seen wearing — a blue pair of shorts.

Officers said he died of drowning and there are no external injuries on his body, indicating he was not assaulted. They have registered a case of accidental death.

“It is untrue that his father scolded him. I do not believe that he drowned. We do not have any enemies, but I think someone murdered Rushi. We did not get any ransom calls and are happy with the police’s investigations. They did whatever they could do. We will accept whatever cause of death is established in the autopsy report,” the uncle of Rushi’s father Vandev, 57, told HT.