11-year-old Afghan boy went missing less than a month after arriving in England

Police last week ended the search for an 11-year-old boy from Afghanistan who went missing for more than 24 hours.

Mohammed Khan is from Afghanistan and arrived in the UK less than a month ago. His first language is Pashto and his English is very limited.

He had last been seen in Deptford, in Lewisham, at around 4pm on Tuesday, November 30 when he left the address where he is staying to play football in a nearby park.

When he did not return, the police were called and officers began a search of the area. A high risk missing person investigation was launched and is ongoing.

But Lewisham police tweeted at 4.13pm on Thursday: “#UPDATE | 11-yr-old Mohammed Khan who was reported missing from #Deptford has been found safe and well. Thanks for all the RTs! “

Acting Detective Inspector Lara Pink, from the South East Missing Persons Unit, had said before he was found: “As we enter the second night since Mohammed went missing, we are growing increasingly concerned.

“He is in an unfamiliar country and doesn’t speak much English. He has only recently arrived in Deptford and won’t know his way around.

“While we are keeping an open mind, we cannot rule out that Mohammed has come into contact with people who may wish him harm and it is important that anyone with any information about his whereabouts comes forward.”