Mumbai: During a patrol at Khandwa station of Madhya Pradesh , Railway Protection Force personnel Ishwar Chand Jat and RK Tripathi recently came across a boy sitting alone.

The child had a mobile number tattooed on his right arm. A call to the number revealed that he lives with a mental health condition and keeps losing his way. Eventually, RPF reunited the kid, Sumit, with his family. Sumit is among 861 stories of happy unions facilitated by the Central Railway (CR) under its ‘Operation Nanhe Farishte’ over the past seven months, said officials on Sunday.

Besides health issues like Sumit’s, children end up alone at railway stations for myriad reasons, including reprimand over studies, fights with parents, search for a “better” life or Mumbai’s glamour, an official said. CR officials reunited 589 boys and 272 girls with their families between April and October, he said.

“Our RPF personnel connect with lost children, counsel them and ensure their safe return home, earning deep gratitude from parents,” the official added.