Mentally-ill man reunited with family by NGO in Maharashtra

Thane, Jan 11 (PTI) A man suffering from a mental ailment was reunited with his family a month after he was found wandering in a distressed state in Maharashtra's Sindhudurg district by a social organisation, its representatives said on Sunday.

Santosh Sudhakar Jadhav had gone missing from Mangao in Raigad district on December 13 and was found in a village close to Kankavli, they said.

The police were alerted, and Jadhav was sent into the care of Sanvita Ashram, said Kisan Choure, the organisation's trustee.

Police launched a probe to ascertain his identity and trace his family, he said.

"Until his sister arrived from Mumbai, Santosh was given shelter, protection and care at Sanvita Ashram, Pandur, which is run under the Jeevan Anand Sanstha," Choure said.

Through the joint efforts of the Kankavli police and the team from Sanvita Ashram, Jadhav's family was traced, and he was reunited with them.

"We had almost lost hope. But thanks to the police and Sanvita Ashram, my brother is alive and back with us. I will always be grateful," the ailing man's sister, Poonam Jadhav said.

Choure said since July 2025, the ashram has successfully reunited several lost and displaced individuals from Maharashtra, West Bengal, Jharkhand, Uttar Pradesh and Odisha. PTI COR ARU