'He Was Seen Trying to Sell His Parker Pen': Massive Search On for Missing Bengaluru Boy

(The missing Bengaluru boy, Parinav, has been found in Hyderabad and will be reunited with his parents. To read the updated article, click here)

Sukesh has responded to every single phone call, SMS, or mail that has come on his phone in the last couple of days with the hope that it will help find his son, Parinav, who has been missing since Sunday in Bengaluru.

The 12-year-old, who loves pens and was often given expensive ones as gifts by his uncle, was seen trying to sell a Parker pen that he owns, said his father.

“On Sunday, he was spotted behind the BMTC bus stop using the public toilet there. Later, after using the washroom, he tried to sell his Parker pen, which is costly, to a person for Rs 50 as he had no money with him. He is trying to survive by selling his belongings. We hope we can get him back home soon,” Sukesh told News18.

The boy was last seen in CCTV footage near the Majestic bus station around 4.30 pm on January 21. With no phone in his hand and just his backpack, Parinav’s family members hope that he finds a way to reach out to them.

Wearing a yellow t-shirt and navy blue pants, and carrying a dark-coloured school bag with ‘Allen’ written on it, Parinav had attended his coaching classes that he joined earlier in this academic year.

Sukesh said it takes around 20 minutes to drive from their home in Gunjur to Whitefield and he was a bit late in picking his son up after his classes. Parinav reportedly left before his father reached there.

Sukesh told News18 that he has been getting several calls from people who say they have spotted Parinav.

CCTV footage first places him near a private hospital, Kaveri, between Kundalahalli Gate and Marathahalli Bridge at 2.30 pm on the same day. After a while, he is said to have taken two buses and finally alighted at Majestic. He was also once spotted using the public toilet near the BBMP office and later near the Karnataka high court.

A conductor of the bus that Parinav boarded near his coaching centre identified the child and confirmed that he had got off near the Marathahalli market. He alighted since he did not have enough money to buy a ticket beyond that point, the police were told.

“With the help of my friends, I sent a team there to verify. We have been able to map his movements to a certain extent. In two to three places we visited, it was not Parinav. At around 6.30 pm on Sunday, he was spotted near the Karnataka high court. The police have said that it is possible to reach that area in an hour. We hope that he is in the Gandhinagar, Chickpet area, so we are focusing our search on those parts,” the father explained.

The police have also formed three teams and with the help of the CCTV cameras across the city, 24×7 surveillance is being kept to see if they Parinav has been captured by any of them.

Parinav’s photograph has been circulating across social media groups for maximum impact and quicker detection. As of now, a case under section 363 (punishment for kidnapping) of the Indian Penal Code has been registered at the Whitefield police station.

Dinesh Garg, a neighbour and a friend of the family, told News18 that with the help of the police, they have been visiting all the places that Parinav could have gone to in the Majestic area of Bengaluru. Friends of the family have been going door to door and showing the child’s photograph to map his movements and zero in on a specific area to trace him.

“We hope that he will speak to a person who would have seen the mother’s appeal or the poster that is circulating and help us get to him,” Garg said.

Parinav’s mother Nivedita also has put out a video appeal asking her child to return home and not to worry about anything that may have bothered him. They have appealed to people if they spot the child to inform the family or the police at the earliest. Sitting with Parinav’s growing-up photos in his room, the helpless mother has made this video appeal so that it reaches her son’s ears, or someone sees it and helps find him, said a neighbour.

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In the video, Nivedita says: “Hi Parinav. How are you and where are you? We all are waiting for you at home. Please come home naana (child). We are waiting for you. Your little brother is waiting for you. Your Nana (father) is waiting for you. Your grandparents are also waiting here. They all have come here to see you. Don’t be afraid of anything. You please come back. We all love you a lot. We all miss you. Please call me back. We are not at all interested in staying home because you are not at home with us. Please. I am in your room, looking through your books, your dresses, your photos. Please come back, Parinav, We all love you very much. We cannot tell you how much we love you, and please understand that you need not be scared about anything. Please call us. We will help you. Don’t think negatively. Please call my mobile phone or your father’s. Your father is missing you a lot. We love you very much.”

If you have any information or have seen Parinav, you can contact his father, Sukesh, at 9845218218.