Big-spending boy is home

A 9-year-old Indonesian boy who ran away from home with US$10,000 ($12,886) in cash and went on a spending spree has returned safely, his father said yesterday.

Ahmad Legal Civiandi ran away last week and only returned after a taxi driver recognised him from media pictures.

He reportedly spent his first night on the run in a shopping mall, treating himself to a PlayStation, toys and a mobile phone, before moving on to a hotel, where he stayed for several nights despite a police hunt for him.

His father said almost none of the cash was left, but that he had forgiven the child.