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Chided for watching YouTube, Indian boy runs away from UAE home

Family appeals to trace teen who left home after mother took away his phone at night

Sharjah: An Indian teen has allegedly run away from his Sharjah home after being scolded for watching YouTube late at night, his family said while appealing to the public to help find him.

Mohammad Perwez, 15, went missing during the wee hours of July 4 from his apartment in Sharjah’s Muweilah area, his family hailing from the eastern Indian state of Bihar said on Sunday.

His father Mohammad Aftab Alam, who filed a complaint with the Sharjah Police on the same evening, on Sunday sought the help of the Indian Consulate in Dubai and also appealed to the public to help find his son.

His nephew Shams Tabrez, a mechanical engineer who lives with the Alams, told Gulf News that Perwez had disappeared from home after his mother scolded him for watching YouTube late at night and took away his phone.

On the night of July 3, Tabrez said, he and Perwez had gone to a nearby mosque for a Quran memorisation session.

“We got back home around 11pm. I went to sleep in half an hour or so, but he didn’t. He just removed the kandura worn on top of a T-shirt and jeans and started watching YouTube. He generally watches a Hindi serial for children.”

Tabrez said Perwez was chided by his mother for not sleeping. “I think she scolded him and took away his phone by around 1am. When I woke up at 4am to go for prayers, I didn’t find him in the room. The main door was also open.”

The family said the ninth grade student of Delta English School took nothing with him. “Only his kandura is missing. He has not taken any other clothes or his wallet or phone with him. So he doesn’t have any identity papers with him,” said Tabrez.

He said Perwez is a bright student who loves sports. “He was always into playing football in his old school. He had gone to Abu Dhabi to play Kho-Kho and Kabaddi for that school. He was shifted to this school only this April.”

His parents and three younger sisters have been devastated after their search for Perwez went in vain. “All of us are very sad. His mother is crying and blaming herself. We just hope that we will find him safe soon,” said Tabrez.

Social worker Naseer Vatanappally, who accompanied the family members to the consulate, said the incident is an eye-opener for expat parents and children.

“Many kids are addicted to mobile phones now. Parents need to be more sensitive to the emotions of children. Instead of forcing them to change their habits all of a sudden, they should persuade them to change slowly. Children also need to understand that parents are scolding them for their benefit, not because they don’t love their children,” he said.

Police investigation underway

Sharjah Police confirmed to Gulf News on Sunday that they had received the missing report about the boy and have initiated an investigation.

The police have circulated the report to police stations across the country as well as exit points and borders. A search is ongoing to locate the boy. Anyone with information on the boy can call Industrial Area Police Station on 06-5138882.