S. Mano Santhosh (17) and P. Prithviraj (15) of Kurichi in Sundarapuram, who were reunited with their parents (after over two-and-half years) on Saturday night under ‘Operation Muskaan’ programme launched by police said that they left home as they were not interested in studies and were upset over the family’s financial position.
Santhosh was in Standard10 and was under pressure to score high marks.
His mother S. Kalpana (35) was as a construction worker and his father had committed suicide a few years ago.
A week before they left home, Prithviraj told his father R. Ponnusamy (40), also a construction worker, that he did not want to study.
“I said I will put him in hostel so that he would be able to concentrate in studies,” Ponnusamy said and suspected that this could have upset his son.
In addition to a police complaint to find the missing boys, their relatives had then pasted wall posters at bus stands and important places in Coimbatore, Tirupur, Salem and Ooty and went in search of them to many places in the State. From an ice factory to hardware outlets the two boys worked together in many places before they parted ways a year ago, due to difference of opinion. Recently, Santhosh traced Prithviraj in a fast food shop at Tondairpet and the two wanted to come home but they were hesitant if their parents would accept them. Though they were as eager as their parents to join the family, they had not come home earlier fearing their parents would be angry with them.
Meanwhile, police tracked Santhosh and were lucky to spot Prithviraj too, with help from the former. Santhosh wants to settle accounts with his employer in Chennai and return to Coimbatore. Prithviraj wants to stay back with his family.
