It sounds like the opening scene of a retro Bollywood film. A young hero runs away from home, works hard in a big city, and then, in one quick montage, he’s all grown up, rich, and ready to be called a “bada aadmi”.
Three friends from Agra seem to have had much the same story in mind. They left home on October 17, hoping to return only after becoming big names.
Influenced by an Instagram reel, one minor convinced two friends, a minor and an adult, to join him in his quest to become a bigshot.
The three live as neighbours in Agra’s Lohamandi area.
In true film style, the minor left a note for their parents. It read, “I love Papa, I love Mummy. I will return only after becoming a ‘big’ man.”
With that, the friends set off, driven by their ambition.
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When the families found out what had happened, they were left devastated. They went to the police at once and filed a missing person report.
Three police teams were sent out to look for the three friends. Officers also went through footage from a large number of cameras, reviewing more than 200 CCTV feeds in all.
The effort paid off. The police found the three at the Chamunda Mata Temple near Raja Mandi, and all of them were recovered within 24 hours.
During questioning, the friends said they had decided to run away after watching reels on Instagram. They wanted to become wealthy and successful, and they planned to come back only once they had reached that status.
With inputs from Laxmi Kant Sharma
