Mehsana (Gujarat), Nov 6 (IANS): A 10-year-old boy fled from a childcare home, which is run by a Canada-based NGO in Gujarat's Mehsana district, police said on Sunday, adding that it was the third time in the past two years.

The childcare centre -- Child Haven International -- lodged a complaint with the Langhnaj police station and the police have started searching for the boy.

This was the third time that the boy has run away from the centre in the past two years.

Police Sub-Inspector, S.B. Zala told IANS, "Child Haven International's manager has filed a complaint informing that the boy has fled from the childcare centre. The boy had run away on November 23, when their search failed they lodged a complaint on Saturday evening."

The police officer said, "The boy and his niece Radha are under 12 years and so they were kept at the NGO's Mehsana campus, whereas his two other cousins live in the Palanpur campus. All four wanted to stay together, but the NGO has rules to keep children under 12 years separate from older children."

This child care centre provides all facilities to the children who are not living with their parents or are orphans.

The boy was living in the Mehsana campus from 2020. This was the second time in two years that the boy had run away. The first time he ran away, the police found him in Palanpur and brought him back and handed over to the NGO. The second time, he ran away along with his niece, but the police got them back.