India and Britain examine lost boy mystery

London: Officials in Britain are examining the background of a nine-year-old boy found abandoned at London bus stop in a bid to substantiate claims by a couple in India that he is their kidnapped son.

Ganga Prasad and Bindia Devi say the boy, known as Gurrinder Singh, is in fact their son Sintu Prasad, who vanished outside their Indian home three years ago.

The Sikh boy, who speaks only Punjabi, wandered into a health centre in Southall, west London, last week after earlier being dumped at a bus stop.

Police said he told them he had been deserted by a white "uncle" with whom he had been living after his parents died. He had come to Britain two or three years ago.

When his picture appeared on Indian television, the couple, from Aurangabad in the eastern state of Bihar, said the boy resembled their son who had been snatched in 2005.

Bindia Devi, who believes she is his mother, said: "It is a miracle for us and a ray of hope."

Since their claim earlier this week, authorities in both countries have been working to establish the boy's true identity. Some reports said he may be the victim of child trafficking.

Police in Bihar said they had sent a boy's photograph, resembling Gurrinder, and relevant background information to the Indian High Commission in London.

"He was about six when he was reported missing, we were told by his parents," the director general of police in Bihar, Ashish Ranjan Sinha, said.

"We have sent all concerned information about the missing boy to the Indian High Commission in London."

A Commission spokeswoman said they had not received the photograph and wanted to find out more about the boy.

"We want to get more details about him," she said.

A Scotland Yard spokeswoman said Gurrinder was currently in care.

"We are aware of the claims being made and we are looking into these at the moment," she said. She declined to comment further.