Darbhanga (Bihar): A minor boy from Bihar's Darbhanga district, who had been declared dead and cremated following his disappearance, returned home safely 70 days later, media reports said.

The child had gone missing on February 8, after which the family filed a missing person report at their local police station, according to na India Today report.

A few days after the report was lodged, the family allegedly received a ransom demand of ₹45,000. They even transferred ₹5,000.

Then, on February 28, a grievously injured boy was discovered lying on railway tracks and taken to a hospital, where he died on March 1.

Police summoned the family for identification. Despite expressing doubts and asking for a DNA test, the family said they were coerced by police into accepting the body as their son’s.

The death led to widespread protests in Darbhanga, with locals taking to the streets carrying the boy’s body and clashing with police.

The SHO of the concerned police station was suspended for negligence. Following cremation, the family received ₹4 lakh in compensation from the welfare department.

To everyone's shock, the boy later reappeared. He showed up at Darbhanga Civil Court with his lawyer and shared his ordeal — he had been abducted by unidentified men who gagged him and took him away. He later realised he had been taken across the border to Nepal.

He managed to escape when his captors left a door unlocked and, with help from locals, contacted his family.

After a video call confirmed his identity, his relatives brought him home.

The boy’s brother said the family was emotionally shattered when they were asked to identify the body, which happened late at night.

He reiterated the lawyer's claim that police had pressured them into accepting the body and ignored their request for a DNA test.

Now that the boy is back, the family has informed authorities and expressed readiness to return the ₹4 lakh compensation they had received.

The identity of the cremated child remains unknown, and police are investigating the kidnapping and the earlier misidentification. Authorities have confirmed the boy’s safe return and said further inquiries are ongoing to uncover the truth and trace those responsible.