Separated at 9, J'khand youth reunited with family after ten-year stay in Bengal

Medininagar, Feb 24 (PTI) After a decade-long separation, a 19-year-old youth from a Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Group (PVTG) has been reunited with his family in Jharkhand’s Palamu district after he was traced to West Bengal, officials said on Tuesday.

Mandis Parahiya, a resident of Kala village under Chattarpur police station limits, was barely nine years old when he was separated from his parents.

His homecoming on February 22 was the result of a coordinated effort by the Palamu district police, who tracked him down to the South 24 Parganas district in the neighbouring state.

The case, which had remained dormant for years, gained momentum late last year. Palamu Superintendent of Police Reeshma Ramesan noted that a formal missing person complaint was lodged on December 18, based on the statement of the youth’s father, Mangal Parahiya.

“When we asked why he was submitting a formal missing complaint after so many years, he told us that about 10 years ago, two of his neighbours had taken his son to Kolkata in search of work, and thereafter they never allowed him to meet his son,” the SP said.

The ordeal for the tribal family was marked by repeated heartbreak. The SP added that the neighbours had once even taken Mangal and his wife to the metropolis under the pretext of a reunion, “but they were not able to meet him.” Taking cognisance of the family’s plight, a Special Investigation Team (SIT) was constituted to probe into the matter. “I directed it to initiate a thorough investigation into the matter, and brought back their son,” Ramesan added.

The breakthrough came when the police interrogated the two neighbours. According to Awadh Kumar Yadav, SDPO of Chattarpur, the suspects claimed that while Mandis was initially in Kolkata, he had since moved.

He was eventually traced to a workplace in South 24 Parganas district, near the Kolkata-Bangladesh border. “Thereafter, with the help of technical surveillance and local police, we traced Mandis,” the SDPO said.

Despite the passage of a decade, the young man held onto the few fragments of his identity that remained. Mandis remembered only the names of his village and his parents. “On the basis of these, the police established his identity and brought him back on February 22,” Kumar said.

The reunion at the village was a scene of raw emotion. After ten years of uncertainty, Mangal Parahiya and his family were moved to tears upon seeing the youth alive and well. They expressed heartfelt gratitude and praised the Palamu police for this “commendable work.” PTI RPS COR RPS NN