The alertness of police and proactive efforts by an NGO led to the reunion of a 12-year-old boy with a mental disability and his family within 8 hours of his disappearance. A locket played a crucial role in facilitating their reunion.
Colaba police officers found the boy, identified as Vinayak Koli, at Dr. Mukherjee Chowk in Colaba after receiving an anonymous call about a child wandering alone. Unable to understand Vinayak due to his mental state, officers noticed a locket around his neck. Upon opening it, they discovered a QR code.
A police official, while narrating the incident, said, “The kid was unable to speak, and we were unable to understand him. However, we observed the kid and noticed a locket around his neck. Upon opening it, we discovered a QR code on his locket. We scanned it, and it took us to the NGO Project Chetna website, which solved the mystery.”
Project Chetna provides QR tags under one of its initiatives. These scannable codes contain personal information and medical details, crucial in situations where individuals are lost or disoriented. Scanning the QR tag grants immediate access to this information. Colaba police contacted Project Chetna founder Akshay Ridlan, who provided them with a password to access Vinayak's information, including his medical condition, emergency contacts, and home address. Police then contacted Vinayak's parents and reunited the family.
A Colaba Police officer said, “Project Chetna gave us a password, which provided us with essential details, such as his medical condition, emergency contacts, and home address. We immediately contacted Vinayak’s parents and reunited the family.”