IMPHAL, April 30: Amidst public indignation over his disappearance, Takhellambam Rahul was this afternoon found loitering around Chandel Bazar around 2:30pm.
Rahul had gone missing on April 21 after he left the school campus for the school boarding. The concerned JAC had called for 42-hour general strike demanding his safe release.
Speaking to IFP the Chandel SP E Priyokumar said, the boy is presently under his custody.
He said, family members and school authorities have already arrived at the police station.
Elaborating on the development of the case, the SP also told IFP that the boy was found by some classmates from the area and later left him with one local singer identified as Gulliver, 43 who is from the Chandel Bazar area.
Soon after Gulliver informed the Chandel police about the missing boy being with him, the SP himself went at around 4:10pm and picked up the boy, the police officer said.
The boy, however was found in a traumatised condition and looked drugged, he added.
The boy who looked weak and dizzy was not in a position to answer to the queries of the police at the moment, he informed.
It could not be ascertained whether the boy was released by his captors following public pressure or he escaped on his own.
However the boy told the police that he was taken along by an unidentified individual and was not properly fed, the police officer said.
Meanwhile, SDPO Chandel took the boy along in a police vehicle to ascertain the place where he was held captive, however due to heavy rain, the team could not reach the spot, he also said.
The Imphal East SDPO, RK Khomdon who had gone to fetch Rahul reached the Chandel SP office at around 8 pm.
Talking to IFP SDPO Khomdon said, it would take about 2 hours to reach Imphal with the boy. After reaching Imphal, the boy would be taken for a medical check-up at the JNIMS, he added.
The team led by the IE SDPO and including the boy, his family members and school authorities is likely to reach Imphal late after midnight.