Parents Become Beggars to Find Missing Sons

A couple disguised themselves as beggars and travelled across five states for months to find their two missing sons, eventually reuniting with both.

A family’s two children suddenly disappeared. After months of searching with no answers, their parents left their jobs and travelled across several states disguised as beggars to find them.

The family, originally from Bihar, had moved to Mundra, Gujarat, for work. Their two sons, Rahul, 14, and Arpit, 11, went out to play on 15 January 2024 but never returned home. The parents searched everywhere, contacted relatives and approached the police. After three months without any information, they suspected their sons may have been taken by a begging gang and decided to search for them themselves.

Disguised as beggars, they travelled through Gujarat, Maharashtra, Goa, Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh, following every possible clue. A lead took them to Bhagalpur, Bihar, but Rahul had already left. They eventually found him begging in Bikaner, Rajasthan.

About 15 days later, another clue led them to Howrah, West Bengal, where they found their younger son, Arpit. After months of searching, both boys were finally reunited with their parents. The incident happened in 2024 but went viral again in September 2026 after a post on X retold the family’s story and news organisations picked it up.

The story also highlights the larger issue of children being forced into begging and other forms of exploitation. Government data recorded more than 45,000 children begging in India in the 2011 Census. Since October 2023, 2,824 children found begging have been rescued and rehabilitated, with more than half reunited with their families.

Rahul and Arpit’s story ended with a reunion. But for many vulnerable children, the search for safety continues.