Relief for family, cop finds their kid in Hussainsagar crowd

Hyderabad: Thursday almost turned out to be the most terrifying day for a Madhuranagar-based family after they lost their 10-year-old son when they went to Hussainsagar to watch the Ganesha idols immersion. Thanks to a constable who traced the child, it quickly turned into one of the happiest days for the family.

“When a group of people suddenly came at Crane No 1, I lost contact with my child. When I looked back, my son Sushanth was not seen anywhere. It is a really terrifying moment when we realised our child was missing in such a massive crowd,” said the boy’s father Krishna Murthy.

“We searched for him everywhere, but in vain. For a moment, we thought the group of people who caused the separation, might have taken my boy with them and I even followed them. When I failed to trace him, I reported the issue to the control room,” said the father.

The authorities were announcing the names of those who had gone missing on loudspeakers, asking them to come to the control room.

“We were not sure how my 10-year-old child would find his way to the control room. We were not sure if he would understand what was being announced. My wife and I were distraught and felt as if we lost our entire world,” Murthy said, recounting his two-hour ordeal.

 The Hyderabad police, however, found out our child by using CCTV cameras, said Murthy.

“A constable brought our child back to us holding him in his arms. My boy was crying and he jumped on me after seeing us,” the father said.

"Those two hours were extremely painful. We couldn't bear the thought of our son being lost in the crowd. We are immensely thankful to the police and everyone who helped us. Our prayers were answered today. Seeing our son safe in our arms again is the greatest blessing. We can't thank the people around and the authorities enough for their support,” a tearful mother said.

Thirty people, including 18 children aged below 10 years, were reported missing on Thursday, as lakhs of people gathered to witness the grand immersion of Ganesh idols in Tank Bund.  However, the authorities were able to successfully trace them out and reunite them with their families.