Boy, 12, Lived In IKEA For Six Days After Row With Mum Over Homework

Boy, 12, Lived In IKEA For Six Days After Row With Mum Over Homework
Getty

Homework battles are a part of everyday family life. But it caused one 12-year-old boy to run away from home and spend six days sleeping at an IKEA store!

Peng Yijian, from Shanghai in China, was sent home from school after a teacher called his mum, Liu, saying he hadn't done his maths homework.

The call led to an almighty row and instead of taking his punishment, Peng ran away from home, sparking a huge police search.

Liu told Shanghai Daily that her son only had 1.5 yuan (about 20p) in his pocket when he left, but he managed to survive off free food samples from surrounding supermarkets.

The schoolboy was eventually spotted by police on Tuesday afternoon at the IKEA outlet in Xuhui District and was taken to hospital for treatment.

Liu said her son was 'very weak with hunger' when he was found near an escalator on the ground floor and has since received an intravenous drip.

She said she was grateful for all the help from everyone and promised to have a better relationship with her son in the future.

After Peng went missing, police found CCTV footage of the boy at Shanghai South Railway Station and a Carrefour store.

Officer Sun Miao said: "We thought there might be other places he likes to visit, so we asked his mother.

"She gave us eight or nine names, including Caoxi Park, Nanfang Shopping Mall, In Center and IKEA."

Close