In a heartwarming turn of events, a 55-year-old mentally challenged woman, presumed dead for the past seven years, was reunited with her family, bringing joy to a household that had long given up hope.
Shahana (name changed), a resident of Gaddayan Mohalla near Jama Masjid in Kasganj, had gone missing while visiting relatives seven years ago.
Despite extensive search efforts and a police report, she remained untraceable. Her grieving family even performed her last rites believing she was no more.
The emotional reunion took place on Sunday thanks to the efforts of counselling psychologist Shailesh Sharma, based in Razau Parsupur, Bareilly, who figured out her identity during therapy sessions.
After going missing, Shahana was found in Amaria, Pilibhit, on December 12, 2018, and was sent to Nari Niketan in Bareilly by Sub Divisional Magistrate orders, Sharma said.
On June 22, 2022, due to her condition, she was admitted to a government mental health hospital in Bareilly.
Under the care of senior psychiatrist Dr Alok Shukla and the counselling efforts of Sharma's NGO Manosamarpan, Shahana began recovering her memories.
During the sessions, she shared details about her family which resulted in her contacting her brothers Mohammad Tahir and Khalid in Kasganj, Sharma said.
"When we received the call from Bareilly, we could not believe it," Khalid said on Tuesday, admitting that his family had lost all hope of a reunion.
"Our sister was mentally ill and had disappeared without a trace. We had lost all hope. The team at Manosamarpan and the hospital gave us a happiness we had never imagined. We finally got her back in our home," he said.
Director of the hospital Dr Pushpa Pant Tripathi stated that now, with the help of social workers, they will try to reconnect all their fully-recovered patients with their families.
"Where necessary, we will seek assistance from police and social organizations," she added.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
