As Nithari hopes fade, city boy reunited with parents

Lucknow, Jan 29: As hopes of parents -- who have lost their children in and around Nithari village in the last few years -- fade with more skeletons being recovered by investigators, a five year old boy has been reunited with his parents after a gap of four-and-a-half years.

Kanak was traced by the city police from the nearby Pratapgarh district. He was three months old when he was abducted by his maid.

Sub-inspector Harinder Singh, who worked hard in the case, said a 'puri-subzi' vendor Krishna Kumar had raised up the kid, considering him as an orphan. The police has now given him a clean chit in the case.

The milkmen of the locality too had been providing free milk to Krishna Kumar for the children.

Kanak's father Jagdish Prasad Shukla, a resident of Prem Nagar locality in Krishna Nagar here, had been searching for his only child ever since his maid Seema left the house with the toddler in 2002.

Seema was married to vendor Krishna Kumar with whom she left the child and eloped with her paramour two years back. She is yet to be traced.

Krishna Kumar and his old mother did not ignore the child. Kanak, who was named as Abhijat in his school in Pratapgarh and was called Anoop by Krishna Kumar, responded positively to his mother Shobha, who broke down on seeing her only child after such a long time.

Even as Kanak was restored to his parents recently, the police has already completed the formalities of restoring the boy to his parents. Police said efforts were on to trace Seema and a case of abduction would be filed against her.

UNI