Auto driver stars in lost-and-found saga on boy's first day in school

A kind-hearted auto-rickshaw driver rescued a six-year-old schoolboy who had wandered off the campus in Chamarajpet on Tuesday.

The boy had gone to the washroom to relieve himself during school hours but inadvertently walked out of the campus. He then wandered on the streets as the surroundings were new to him. It was his first day at school.

Govindaraju, an auto driver passing by the area, saw the boy and figured that he had lost his way. The boy was reticent, too. Govindaraju picked him up, drove straight to the VV Puram police station and gave him to the cops’ custody.

The boy’s disappearance came to light as the school hours drew to a close in the afternoon and his parents arrived to take him home. The parents panicked and went looking for him all over but couldn’t find him. They later lodged a missing complaint at the Chamarajpet police station.

Cops passed the message around. VV Puram police later confirmed that the boy is safe and with them.

By the evening, the boy was reunited with his parents.

It’s unclear how the boy wandered off the campus amid the presence of security guards. The school has CCTV cameras, too.

Sanjeev M Patil, Deputy Commissioner of Police (West), praised the auto driver, calling him a hero who averted a tragedy on the first day of school for the boy.