Mumbai: 22 children who went missing during immersion processions of Ganesha idols reunited with families

The police announced on Saturday that they had successfully reunited 22 children who had gone missing during the immersion processions of Ganesha idols at Girgaon Chowpatty in Mumbai with their respective families.

Lakhs of people thronged the beaches and lakes in the city to immerse the idols on the last day of the 10-day Ganpati Festival on Thursday. Families of the missing children, in the age group of seven to 14 years, had lodged complaints with the DB Marg police station, an official said.

Senior officials from the city police department mobilized multiple teams to search for the missing children. The police utilized loudspeakers to make public appeals, and their efforts continued throughout Thursday night, ultimately leading to the successful location and reunion of all 22 missing children with their families.

Some of the children recalled the phone numbers of their family members, while some revealed their home addresses to police personnel, and they could be handed over to their families, the official said.