Siddarth Sethia
A four-year-old boy who was accidentally left asleep inside a cab in Hennur on Friday night was safely reunited with his family within an hour, thanks to swift coordination by the Bengaluru City Police.
The incident occurred around 8.26 pm under the jurisdiction of the Hennur Police Station.
Jian Chungi,4,had accompanied his mother Ginny and five relatives to the ISKCON Temple earlier in the evening.On their return journey,Jian fell asleep in the back seat of the cab booked by his mother.
After reaching their apartment in Ponnappa Layout,the family hurriedly got down and went home,inadvertently leaving the child asleep inside the vehicle.
Unaware that the child was still in the car cab driver Kiran left the location and proceeded to attend two more pick-ups.
A few minutes later,Ginny realised Jian was missing and recalled that he had been sleeping in the cab.Her attempts to contact the cab through the call centre proved unsuccessful,following which she alerted Namma-112,the state emergency response system.
Upon receiving the alert, Namma-112 personnel immediately informed ASI Manjappa Koppal and Head Constable Satish Kumar,who were on patrol in Hoysala-51.
The team reached the apartment within two minutes and began scanning CCTV footage to identify the cab’s registration number.
Using the Mobile Crime and Criminal Tracking Network System (MCCTNS) app,police traced the vehicle owner’s contact details and through him,got in touch with the driver.
By then,Kiran had completed two trips and was unaware that the child was still asleep in the back seat.
On checking the vehicle,he found Jian sleeping safely. The police instructed the driver not to wake the child and directed him to return to the apartment while monitoring the cab’s movement in real time.
The boy was safely handed over to his relieved parents, marking an emotional reunion.The entire rescue operation lasted about an hour.
City Police Commissioner,Seemant Kumar Singh appreciated the prompt response and coordination of the officers,stating that the incident underscored the effectiveness of the Safe City Project in ensuring children’s safety and welfare.
Police also counselled the family and advised them to exercise caution to prevent such incidents in the future.
