A 17-year-old boy from Tirupati skipped his first-year intermediate examination in December 2024 and silently left home. His widowed mother, a Central government employee, grew suspicious when her teenage son failed to return home, and realised that her 60 grams gold chain and ₹28,000 cash was missing from the almirah. She had her doubts about her son’s addiction but failed to understand how severe it was.
The mother did not approach the police, instead launched a frantic search with the help of the boy’s friends. After a week, the boy was traced to a coastal village at the extreme end of Andhra Pradesh bordering Odisha’s Ganjam district. He was found with a bundle of dried ganja, an old weed-smoking pipe, and just ₹35 in cash, enjoying the sea breeze under the influence.
