Mother arrived late at school; eight-year-old boy walked six kilometres

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: An eight-year-old boy walked six kilometres alone after leaving school when his mother was late. The boy, a third-grader at Pattom Kendriya Vidyalaya, left school around noon after the LAT (Learner's Achievement Test) exam. His mother was delayed due to rain and traffic, arriving about 20 minutes late.

The school was unaware that the boy had left until his mother arrived and couldn't find him. An investigation began after she reported him missing. School CCTV footage showed the boy wearing a raincoat, standing at the gate for about 15 minutes before walking towards Pattom and Kesavadasapuram.

After not seeing her son, when the school's CCTV was checked, it was seen that the teacher and other children were standing in the school premises for a while, and when it started raining, the child was seen walking towards the gate wearing a raincoat. The security had seen the child standing at the gate for about 15 minutes waiting for his mother. In the meantime, the child walked away via Pattom and Kesavadasapuram.

The mother informed the police and relatives, and the boy was eventually found walking near the Mannanthala stream. She claimed that the school blamed her for being late despite her reporting the child missing. Meanwhile, the school principal said that the child was found at a shop near the school and that the relatives' allegations were baseless.