Mumbai Police Clean 8km Of Drains, Scan 50 CCTVs, Interrogate 330 Suspects In Search Of Missing 3-Year-Old Boy

Mumbai: A massive search operation involving over 100 police personnel, scanning of footage from 50 CCTV cameras, cleaning of sludge from 8km of sewage drains, and interrogation of over 300 suspects and possible witnesses, is underway since a three-year-old boy mysteriously went missing while playing outside his home in Sonapur, Bhandup West, on May 24.

About The Case

According to police sources, the child, who lives with his parents in Pune, had come to Mumbai in early May with his uncle, Rajjab Khan, 51. He was staying at Khan’s residence in Dargah Cross Road area, along with his grandmother, Mumtaz, 65. When the family realised he was missing, a frantic search was launched and a missing person’s complaint was filed at the Bhandup police station.

Treating it as a suspected abduction, the police registered an FIR against unknown persons and initiated a probe. Considering the seriousness of the case, senior officers formed a special team. As the boy remained missing in the coming days, the team and the search expanded. No witnesses reported seeing him being taken, and no credible leads emerged. Police questioned 10 relatives, including five children who regularly played with the boy, but nothing suspicious came to light. The child’s family in Pune was also questioned, but investigators found no family disputes, tensions, or suspicious behaviour during these inquiries that could point to foul play.

A small but critical detail emerged from the boy’s 7-year-old cousin, who told the police that she had warned him not to play along a nearby nullah (open drain). Since he often played there, the police began probing the possibility that he may have fallen into the nullah and been swept away. The police, with help from the municipal corporation, mapped the entire drainage system and, with municipal staff assistance, authorities cleaned nearly 8km of drains, removing sludge and debris – but still, there was no sign of the boy.

The police extended their search to Airoli Creek, Navi Mumbai, with the help of local fishermen, where the drain meets the sea, and informed all coastal police stations. Additionally, the police conducted extensive questioning of 320 residents in the area, including 17 households of transgender persons nearby, occupants of local red-light district chawls, 28 bachelors, 92 labourers, and 126 beggars living or operating in the area. Investigators expanded the search by scanning footage from CCTV cameras at Bhandup, Nahur, Mulund, Thane, Lokmanya Tilak Terminus, and Dadar railway stations.

They also used face recognition software but were unable to detect any matches. The boy’s photographs were widely circulated but yielded no results. The police are now analysing additional CCTV footage and investigating whether the child may have come in contact with any rickshaw drivers, tempo operators, or known offenders. The investigation remains open, but for now, the case of the missing boy continues to baffle Mumbai’s police force.