Dehradun: On July 1, a youth turned up at the Dehradun Police Station to narrate the touching story of his separation during childhood. Police, moved by his tale, delved deeper into the investigation and, after putting out advertisements across Dehradun, claimed to have reunited him with family.
However, this was not the end of the story. The youth told the same tale to the Ghaziabad Police who found an eerie similarity with the Dehradun episode. As suspicion grew, an investigation was launched which unearthed stunning facts. The youth introduced him as Manu to the Dehradun Police while Bhim Singh to the Ghaziabad Police.
After a lot of efforts, the Ghaziabad Police united him with a family in Sahibabad where he convinced a woman of being her lost son. The woman, Lilavati, believed in his version.
But when the Ghaziabad Police came to know about his Dehradun episode, a team was sent to the capital city of Uttarakhand to investigate the matter in detail. Human trafficking police were also roped in to investigate the case. The reenactment of the same drama left both the police dumbfounded as they are yet to come to terms with what happened to them.
A Fascinating But Heartwrenching Missing Story
The story dates back to 2008 when the eight-year-old son of Kapil Dev Sharma and Asha Devi Sharma from Dehradun. A missing report was lodged but the child could not be traced despite an intense search. The sudden appearance of the youth, claiming to be the lost child, after 17 years has brought the missing case back to discussions.
He told the police that his house was in Dehradun and he was kidnapped 17 years ago. The kidnapper took him to Rajasthan and he was engaged in grazing sheep and goats in Jaisalmer. He was kept in a hut on the field with hands and feet tied. One day, a truck driver came to Jaisalmer to buy sheep. Seeing him in shackles, he put him in the truck along with sheep and goats and brought him to Delhi. From Delhi, that truck driver put him on the train to Dehradun. The police felt pity for this heart-wrenching tale. When they compared Monu's picture with the child who went missing from Lohianagar in 2008, they looked similar.
After this, the Dehradun Police published advertisements about Monu in newspapers. After seeing Monu's photo in the advertisement and hearing about the missing story, the family approached the police. Asha Devi Sharma said she recognised Monu as her son and took him home. There was an atmosphere of happiness in the house as the long-lost son was found finally. Then everyone forgot about this matter.