What was supposed to be a routine tea-and-breakfast stop during a family pilgrimage to Himachal Pradesh turned into an anxious wait for an eight-year-old boy after his family drove away without him.The family from Uttar Pradesh had stopped at a dhaba in the Dhusara area of Amb in Una district while visiting Shaktipeeths in Himachal Pradesh.After the break, they boarded their Tempo Traveller and continued their journey, apparently unaware that the boy was still at the dhaba.Local residents noticed the child sitting alone. When the family did not return and the boy began crying, they informed the police.The police reached the spot and took the child into their care. The immediate challenge was to trace the vehicle in which his family had travelled.Officials checked CCTV footage from Amb Chowk and other nearby locations and tracked vehicles that had left the dhaba. The footage helped them identify the Tempo Traveller.Using its registration number, the police contacted the vehicle owner and then reached the driver by phone. The family was informed that the child had been left behind at the dhaba.It was only then that the family realised their mistake. By that time, they had travelled around 80 km. They turned back and returned to collect the boy.Vishal Thakur, a local resident who was present at the spot, said the family had stopped for tea and breakfast before leaving in the Tempo Traveller.“Their child was left behind. When we saw him crying, we informed the police. They reached the spot and contacted his family,” he said.Amb DSP Anil Patiyal said the boy was safely handed over to his parents after the necessary paperwork and legal formalities were completed.“Using the vehicle number, police first contacted the owner and then spoke to the driver over the phone. The family was informed that their child had been left at the dhaba. They then realised their mistake and returned to take him,” Patiyal said.