Son of migrant worker goes missing in Kollam; bicycle found near railway station

KOLLAM: A 12-year-old boy from Bengal, son of a migrant labourer, went missing from Pattathanam in Kollam. Abraham Oraon—the son of Birendar, who hails from Kalchini district of Bengal and currently resides in a rented house in Vikas Nagar, Pattathanam—has been reported missing since Thursday evening.

It was recently that Birendar’s wife and his four-year-old daughter returned to Bengal. However, they did not take along his son, who is a seventh-grade student at an English-medium school in Kollam city. It is suspected that the boy may have travelled by train to join the family back in Bengal. CCTV footage from the house shows the boy leaving on his bicycle after returning from school. By around 10:00 PM on Thursday, the boy's bicycle was discovered near the railway station.

Although Birender reached the East Police Station at 7:00 PM on the day the child went missing, the police registered an FIR only around 10:30 PM. By then, two trains bound for Kolkata had already departed from Kollam station. Birender’s friends checked the Vivek Express, but to no avail. It is suspected that the child might have boarded the earlier Shalimar Express; this train is scheduled to arrive in Kolkata this afternoon.

The child does not have any money or other belongings with him. He was wearing glasses with black frames. Abraham is four feet tall with a dark complexion and a slender build; he also has six fingers on his left hand. Anyone with information regarding the child is requested to contact the police or the RPF. 0474 2742072 (Kollam East Police Station).