Missing five-year-old Uppal boy reunited with family after 12 days

A five-year-old boy from Chilakanagar in Uppal was safely reunited with his family on Thursday, July 2, 2026, twelve days after he went missing from the Secunderabad Railway Station. The multi-district search ended after the man who took the child walked into the Jeedimetla police station with him.

The child, Rapu Nikhil, had disappeared from platform number 1 of the Secunderabad Railway Station on June 20, 2026, after becoming separated from his grandmother. Following his disappearance, the Secunderabad Railway Police registered a kidnapping case and initiated an extensive search.

Closed-circuit television (CCTV) footage from the railway station showed Nikhil wandering alone for nearly an hour and a half. An unidentified man then approached the boy, held his hand, and walked away. The footage later showed the man boarding a train to Vijayawada with the child, which led police to form multiple teams and dispatch officers to Vijayawada in search of the suspect.

The breakthrough occurred on Wednesday when the suspect, identified as Shaik Mahboob Ali, arrived at the Jeedimetla police station with the boy. Ali, a hotel worker who lived alone after separating from his wife and three children, initially claimed he had found the child only two days prior. However, sustained interrogation by the police revealed that he had taken the boy from the railway station on the day he went missing.

According to Jeedimetla Police Inspector G. Mallesh, Ali was under the influence of alcohol when he spotted the boy sitting alone at the station. Believing the child had been abandoned, Ali took him to his home instead of informing the authorities, keeping him there for 12 days.

During the investigation, police examined Ali's mobile phone and discovered several photographs of the boy. Investigators stated that Ali had developed an emotional bond with the child and intended to care for him.

After Ali brought the boy to the station, the Jeedimetla police alerted the Secunderabad Railway Police. Officers verified Nikhil's identity through photographs and a video call with his parents before officially reuniting him with his family. Further investigation into the case is currently underway.