Aadhaar unites missing boy with family after 5 years

A heartening reunion took place recently in Madhya Pradesh's Jabalpur, with UIDAI-issued Aadhar Card being the connector between a long-lost handicapped boy and his estranged family.

Jabalpur:A heartening reunion took place recently in Madhya Pradesh's Jabalpur, with UIDAI-issued Aadhar Card being the connector between a long-lost handicapped boy and his estranged family. Lalu, 12, rescued from Jabalpur by members of the child helpline, was placed in the Government Children's Mental Home on June 23, 2017. Prolonged starvation had taken a toll on his health.

An attempt to trace Lalu's family was kickstarted sometime back, with Aadhar card service Jabalpur in-charge Chitranshu Tripathi and Children's Home Superintendent Ramnaresh making all possible efforts to establish a connection. It finally clicked recently with family members of Lalu, who was identified as Anas Sheikh, reaching Jabalpur to meet him on Monday.

Aadhaar details played a crucial role in the search, with officials able to comb through the database, eventually hitting the bulls-eye on the records portal using his original name. It was revealed eventually that the boy had gone missing on June 10, 2017, from the Jalgaon Railway Station in Maharashtra. Prior to this, he lived with his sister-in-law since the age of 2, after his parents passed away.

Though the two sides have been reunited, at present the matter will be placed before the Child Welfare Committee, which will make a decision before reaching a conclusion. Lalu's old identity will be cross-checked with that of those claiming to be his relatives before he is handed over to them.