In a bid to find the boy, two WhatsApp groups — 'Finding Parinav' and 'Search for Parinav' — emerged, rapidly growing to include hundreds of members.
Posters circulated on social media and WhatsApp. (Supplied)
A 12-year-old boy, who had been missing from Whitefield, Bengaluru, was found safe in Hyderabad on Wednesday, 24 January.
Netizens launched a massive search for Parinav, a Class 6 student of Deens Academy, ever since he had gone missing on 21 January. Two WhatsApp groups — “Finding Parinav” and “Search for Parinav” — were created with hundreds of people joining in the search for the missing boy.
The WhatsApp groups were initiated by a concerned neighbour, Vijay Mudakkav.
The initial search to trace him through CCTV footage hit a roadblock at the bustling Majestic Bus Station.
The online community not only circulated images of the missing boy but also provided valuable insights and suggestions for the search operation.
“By the same night, the members who grew into a few hundreds, gave their inputs and suggestions. Teams of volunteers were formed — one to provide backend support like physical distribution of posters and physical canvassing, and another to forward the posters on social media far and wide and spread the message to more groups and communities like that of the Whitefield Rising — to bolster the police’s search operation,” Vijay Mudakkav told South First.
The breakthrough came when a Bengaluru resident, visiting Hyderabad, noticed a boy resembling Parinav from the circulated images on her WhatsApp. She confronted the boy on the metro in Hyderabad, leading to his identification and subsequent detention at the Nampally Metro Station.
Sukesh, Parinav’s father, expressed gratitude to the anonymous volunteers, saying, “Without his picture being splashed all over, the person in Hyderabad would never have thought to stop a boy and ask.”
The emotional rollercoaster, marked by a worried mother’s video plea, ended with a thankful acknowledgment of the countless individuals who rallied together in the search.
Despite the unsettling circumstances of Parinav’s disappearance, the incident highlights the strength of community bonds and the impact of social media in mobilising collective efforts for a common cause. The boy, now in the custody of Nampally railway authorities, awaits reunion with his family in Bengaluru.
On the day he went missing, Parinav had attended classes at the Allen Career Institute in Whitefield after his father Sukesh had dropped him off there. However, after the classes, he left the institute around 11 am on Sunday, albeit with no intention of returning home.
On reaching the institute to pick his son up, Sukesh, who was delayed that day, was shocked to learn that his son had already left.
Parinav was wearing a yellow half-sleeve T-shirt, black trousers, and carrying a backpack bearing the name of the popular coaching centre when he went missing. His parents, residents of the Prestige Mayberry Apartments, lodged a missing person complaint with the Whitefield Police on Sunday, after family members made attempts to locate him in and around the Whitefield area until 9 pm.
On Monday, the search teams combed the areas in and around the apartment community and the Allen Career Institute — confined to the Whitefield area. They walked the routes he had possibly used and requested shops and other commercial establishments to check their CCTV footage. Through this, they found Parinav walking towards the Marathahalli flyover.
“He had boarded a bus near the flyover, but he got down near the Marathahalli market; he probably did not have any money to buy a ticket,” Vijay told South First.
Parinav was then spotted walking back and then talking to an auto-rickshaw driver on HAL Old Airport Road near an Indian Oil petrol bunk near the Yemalur junction. He then took a bus to Majestic on Sunday evening.
A group of volunteers had visited the Traffic Management Centre (TMC) in Vasanth Nagar to check the CCTV footage to track Parinav’s movements. The traffic police cooperated with the volunteers, but they hit a dead-end at Majestic Bus Station platform 19 C.
Parinav’s parents suspect that his decision to run away was rooted in being unable to cope with the pressure of studies. However, they are yet to confirm with him in person.
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