In a tale that sounds like something out of a survival drama, a Norwegian citizen named Lasse J. Lund is going viral with his harrowing account of being left behind in the chaotic streets of Mumbai, India, as a 10-year-old boy — allegedly abandoned by his own parents.
Now around 33 years old, Lund, who posts under handles like @lasse.j.lund on Instagram and @UnexpectedPaths on YouTube, describes a childhood ripped apart by family dysfunction and what he calls shocking government neglect. According to his story, his "hippie" parents took the family to India, where things fell apart. His father and brother(s) reportedly left, while his mother and a sibling ended up jailed over visa or immigration issues, leaving young Lasse to survive alone in Mumbai's notorious slums.
"I was literally homeless, living on the streets as a Norwegian citizen," Lund has said in raw video clips, switching between a Norwegian-influenced accent and a pitch-perfect Mumbai street accent honed from years immersed in local life. He claims he had no formal schooling, scraped by with odd jobs like working as a tourist guide, and dodged the dangers of slum life for roughly seven years until just before his 18th birthday.
Lund says the Finnish embassy, which sometimes handles Norwegian consular affairs in parts of India, eventually helped repatriate him to Norway. But the damage, he argues, was already done. Back home, he struggled with no education, no support network, joblessness, and personal tragedies, including a girlfriend's suicide and even a stabbing incident. Frustrated by what he sees as failures by Norwegian child services and authorities to track him down or intervene, he's now back in India documenting his experiences and raising awareness through social media. He has a GoFundMe and talks about using funds to help others in need.
The story has sparked intense online debate, with many expressing sympathy for Lund's ordeal while others question key details. Skeptics on platforms like Reddit point out that Norway maintains an embassy in New Delhi and a consulate in Mumbai. How, they ask, did a visibly foreign child in areas like Colaba survive undetected for years in tight-knit communities where outsiders typically stand out?
Critics also wonder why child protection services or embassies didn't step in sooner, especially for a minor European national. Lund has pushed back, criticizing authorities for failing to act while he was under 18. Some online commenters have accused him of exaggerating for clicks or performing his accent, though others defend the authenticity of his street-smart survival tale.
