On Saturday, Dildaar was among the 12 children who were returning home, alongwith their parents, after spending a few years at the State Protection Home (Boys). These children had run away from their homes and were later rescued by police and social activists.

This is the first time that parents of 25 children, out of the total 123 staying at the protection home, have been traced.

The placement camp at the protection home for the missing children was organised with the help of an NGO, Ehsaas.

“I ran away from home with a few friends in search of adventure. But now I have realised that family is the most important thing in a child’s life,” said 14-year-old Javed Ali, who stayed in the protection home for the last four years. His father, Shaoor Rehman, had come from his village in Ballia to take him home.