Missing for six years, boy reunited with family, thanks to NGO
Thanks to the efforts of an NGO, a couple of Mandi Gobindgarh was reunited with their son six years after he went missing. Deepak was nine when he went missing and reached Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh by a train in 2007.
Thanks to the efforts of an NGO, a couple of Mandi Gobindgarh was reunited with their son six years after he went missing.
Deepak was nine when he went missing and reached Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh by a train in 2007.
Now 15, Deepak had since been living in a children's home in Ramnagar there, and pursuing Class 4, besides enrolling in a vocational course of stitching.
Though he had forgotten his address in Ludhiana, efforts of NGO Childline bore fruit and helped find his parents here.
“Around two weeks ago, I got a call from our NGO member Geeta Srivastava, who did Deepak's counselling in Varanasi. She told me that a child had told him that his parents are living in a Gobind Nagar area in Ludhiana,” said Arvind Kumar, coordinator of Childline Ludhiana.
“I tried to find this area in the city, but in vain. I spoke to Deepak and asked him if he meant Mandi Gobindgarh to which he gave a positive response. He also told me that his house was near the fields,” he added.
“We then contacted the Mandi Gobindgarh police, who cooperated with us, and helped us reach Swami Vivekanand School where Deepak was a student. The principal helped us find his address by checking the school record, which helped us contact his parents. Deepak's two brothers are also studying in same school,” Arvind told.
Joginder Chaudhary, father of Deepak, said, “I had tears in my eyes when I spoke to my son for the first time in six years. We rushed to the children's home in Ramnagar, Varanasi, and found my son, who identified me. Deepak has become taller now, and has the same forehead injury mark.”
A resident of Hargobind Colony in Mandi Gobindgarh, Chaudhary added, “I don't know how he went missing in 2007. We had registered a missing report with the local police station. But with time, we had lost all hope of finding him. I am thankful to the NGO members.”
An ecstatic Deepak said, “I was studying in Class 4 and learning stitching at the children's home in Varanasi. I am happy to be reunited with my family.”
