“Three feet height, round face, shoulder length hair, brown eyes and a pink T-shirt with red collar,” read the FIR copy on five-year-old Chirag when he went missing 11 years ago. His family, shattered by the incident, had lost all hope of finding him till in December last year they received a call from the Child Welfare Committee (CWC) asking them to come over to identify their lost child.

Chirag, now 16, pursuing an ITI course from Arab Ki Sarai institutes near Nizamuddin Railway Station, went missing from his house in Azadpur area on 13 March 2006, around noon. At 2 p.m., the family registered a missing complaint at Adarsh Nagar police station and investigation was taken up but the police failed to trace the child.

Jas Ram Kain, chairperson, Child Welfare Committee 2, Kasturba Niketan Complex, Lajpat Nagar, where Chirag currently resides, said he was found abandoned from near Punjabi Bagh bus stand around 1 p.m. the day he want missing from his home.

“A person informed the nearest police station. After the authorities failed to trace his family and could not get any credible details from the kid, he was sent to Nirmal Chaya Complex, a child care institute at Tihar Complex the same day,” Kain said.

Kain told The Statesman: “Chirag was always a smart kid and he never indulged in unnecessary things. He is still very calm and composed.”

In the last 11 years, Chirag has lived in five Child Care Institutes, Nirmal Chaya Complex, Village Cottage Home in Kirti Nagar, Maharani Bagh and Kalkaji and at Children’s Home for Boys (CHG) in Lajpat Nagar before he was told by Kain in December 2017 that they had found his parents and he would soon be able to meet them.

Chirag told The Statesman that he was nervous before meeting the person whom everyone claimed was his father. “I felt I was meeting a complete stranger. I was also a bit scared when I got to know that the strange person would take me to his home now, away from my friends in the shelter home,” he said.

It was welfare officer of Children’s Home for Boys (CHB) Amit Kumar who in November last year came across the case of Chirag. According to Kain, Amit saw a missing complaint about a child who had similar features as Chirag had when he went missing.

Kain said Amit thoroughly studied Chirag’s case and analysed all the missing complaints reported at nearby police stations of Punjabi Bagh. He also got some help from the anti- human trafficking unit of south Delhi.

“That missing complaint was reported at 2 p.m. in Adarsh Nagar police station. The parents mentioned in the missing complaint that the kid is 3 ft tall, has a round face, shoulder length hair, brown eyes and a pink T-shirt with red collar. When Amit went through the details and saw the picture of Chirag when he was found abandoned, he found uncanny similarities between both descriptions,” said Kain.

After procuring details of the missing complaint, Amit went to Chirag’s house but his parents were not found there. Local police acquired the details of their whereabouts and the parents were found living in Mukundpur. They were immediately contacted by CWC officers.

Satish Shah, father of Chirag, who is a roadside vendor, was called to CHG for the facilitation of the kid. Initially, Satish could not recognise Chirag when he met him. Then he was shown Chirag’s picture which was clicked at the time he was admitted to the child care centre. On seeing the pictures, Satish broke down and immediately called his wife, “‘Mara Chintu mil gaya,” he said.

Chirag said he was nervous about what was happening with his life. “I had no memory of my father or anyone. At that time I was not sure about that person being my father,” he said.

To complete his studies, the CWC has advised the family to allow Chirag to continue in the shelter house. The family often visits him and brings a lot of gifts, home cooked food, clothes and fruits for him. The family is also taking Chirag to their native place, Bihar, for a reunion with all the family members on Tuesday Shah told The Statesman that since they got to know about Chirag, everyone in the family is thrilled and is keen to meet him.

Mal Bhogia Devi, Chirag’s mother, who could not hide her happiness, said she would introduce Chirag to everyone in their family and try to make him feel comfortable.

“It will take time but we are hopeful that he will settle down in our family soon,” she added.

Chirag is now 5 feet 5 inches tall, his hair is short ~even though he likes to keep it long. His round face has transformed into an oval one and the chubby body of a 5-year-old has shaped into the lean and athletic figure of a young boy who has faced a lot in life.

“I never made any best friends throughout my life in shelter homes. I believe in keeping my personal life to myself. With time I have started feeling comfortable with my parents. I’m excited about going to Bihar but also a little nervous,” said Chirag.