UP: Mother's prayer answered as man reported missing 36 years back reunited with family

Bhopal: Reported missing for 36 years, a man who is said to be of unsound mind found wandering in rural areas of Bhopal was reunited with his family in Uttar Pradesh, thanks to painstaking efforts made by a policeman from Bhopal, according to police. 

During this long period, said police, the man lost his father.  His siblings and mother Shivdulari Devi had lost all hopes of seeing him alive thinking he was already dead, though the mother continued to pray to the God to send her son back home if he was alive. The 77-year-old woman's prayers were finally answered. 

Police constable Mahendra Singh then posted with Ashoka Garden police station visited Parwalia police station, both police stations in Bhopal, about one-and-a-half months back when he had a chance meeting with the man who was wandering about in the area. 

The man dubbed as mentally ill by local people uttered his name as Kamlesh Yadav when asked by the cop. When asked about his native village he uttered two words - Sukaiti and Ghazipur. The man also told the cop that he was lost and didn't know where his parents or siblings were. 

Mahendra Singh who belongs to Prayagraj could gauge from Kamlesh Yadav's dialect that he came from Uttar Pradesh but Ghazipur puzzled him as the man's accent didn't suggest that he might be from Ghazipur district. Then there started a search for another Ghazipur. The policeman realised that this man's accent match with what is spoken in Fatehpur region and there was a police station- Ghazipur. 

The policeman contacted Ghazipur police station in Fatehpur district to know if there was any village Sukaiti. An affirmative answer from the station house officer (SHO) made him joyous and he contacted a person from the village with the help of the SHO. This village man in turn inquired in his village if anyone named Kamlesh Yadav was lost. The sarpanch told him that a boy with the name was reported missing as many as 36 years



back. 

Though major task was achieved, there was still a challenge if this man's mother and siblings would recognise him after 36 years and how to establish man's identity that he was Kamlesh Jatav who was lost 35 years back. 

During his leave the police constable visited the village about 20 days back and showed the man's photograph he had in his mobile phone to his mother and brother but 36 years were too long a period to change the physical appearance of a boy. The family had a photograph of the man, which had been taken when he was a boy but, obviously, two photographs couldn't be matched. The family didn't recognise the man either as its own Kamlesh Yadav. 

Confident that Kamlesh Yadav was traced, his brother along with the village sarpanch, a few more from the village and the constable came to Bhopal on Friday. When inquired, Kamlesh remembered particular location of his house, well etc. What strengthened the belief of the family was Kamlesh looked like his brother. 

After written formalities in Parwalia police station the family, village sarpanch and the police constable headed for Ujjain to have a darshan at Mahakal temple. Now, mother and all villagers are waiting for return of Kamlesh 36 years after he was lost. 

Search in several states

His elder brother Jagat Yadav said they searched Kamlesh for over four years in several states in hope that they will find him. However, their efforts were in vain at the time. They even believed that he might have died, or else he would have returned home.

Also, he said at the time they used to be three siblings, a sister and two brothers. All were teenagers and now he has four children and their sister also has two children.

The constable Mahendra Singh said he only did what anyone else would have done and he got a treatment like never before. He said when he reached his village the family treated him like a celebrity with tears in their eyes.