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Published : 24 Jul 2025, 02:45 AM
A boy aged around 12 or 13, who can only recall his own name and those of his parents, has been found wandering the streets of Uttarkhan in Dhaka.
He cannot say where his home is, where he is supposed to go, or how he ended up in Bangladesh.
The child, identified only as Surya Vashisht, was discovered near a shrine on Tuesday.
Local residents took him to police, who then sought clearance from the court for his safe custody.
On Wednesday, Dhaka Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Mohammad Mostafizur Rahman ordered that the boy be placed in the “Shorkari Shishu Poribar” or Government Children's Family, Mirpur-10 following the police’s appeal.
Police say the boy cannot speak Bengali and has limited English. He answers every question in English with just one phrase: “I don’t know”.
He has provided only two names: his father, Donnie, and his mother, Ashley, -- and nothing more.
“The boy was wandering near the shrine,” said Sub‑Inspector Md Shahin of Uttarkhan Police Station.
“Locals asked his name and tried to identify him, but he couldn’t say anything. They brought him to the station. Later, our OC sent him to court for safe custody,” he added.
Child rights worker Shahin Alom said the boy was taken to the probation officer’s office before being placed in the children’s home.
“He can’t speak Bengali. He spoke to us in English,” he added. “We asked him a few basic questions -- his name, his parents’ names, and his address.
“He could only mention his name and his parents’ names. He didn’t know any address or phone number.”
In its application, police said efforts to identify him through social media are under way.
They reiterated that he speaks no Bengali, understands little English, and cannot provide any useful information about his origins.
