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Day after disappearance, Sultanpur MLA’s Alzheimer’s-stricken wife found in Barabanki
Deputy commissioner of police, North Zone, Qasim Abidi shed light on the case, revealing, “Pushpa is grappling with Alzheimer’s disease, which often leads her to forget things.”
LUCKNOW In a peculiar turn of events, Pushpa Verma, the 65-year-old wife of Sitaram Verma, the BJP MLA representing Lambhua in Sultanpur, mysteriously disappeared from her Lucknow residence on Tuesday morning. The MLA’s wife, who is struggling with Alzheimer’s disease, was discovered in Barabanki’s Safedabad a day later, thanks to an extensive search operation.
Significantly, the 14-kilometre journey between Lucknow and Safedabad played a critical role in this case as the woman was located with the assistance of CCTV footage and a combination of technical and manual surveillance methods, according to the police.
Prior to her discovery, Pankaj Kumar, a retired Lieutenant Colonel and the MLA’s son, had filed a missing person report at Ghazipur police station, prompting a comprehensive search operation involving 10 police teams.
Deputy commissioner of police, North Zone, Qasim Abidi shed light on the case, revealing, “Pushpa is grappling with Alzheimer’s disease, which often leads her to forget things.” The incident occurred in Ghazipur Sector 8, where her family resides.
The story of her disappearance began at approximately 6 am on Tuesday when Pushpa left her home without informing anyone, triggering a widespread search effort. Despite extensive searches, her whereabouts remained a mystery.
Consequently, Pankaj Kumar contacted his father, Sitaram Verma, who travelled from Sultanpur to Lucknow to join the search efforts. However, their quest proved fruitless, prompting Pankaj to officially report his mother’s disappearance at Ghazipur police station, as explained by Abidi.
DCP Abidi revealed that the search operation included a comprehensive review of all available CCTV footage to pinpoint her last known location. A specialised technical surveillance team and a manual search team were deployed to retrace her steps. Her photograph was widely distributed throughout the nearby areas, including hospitals and parks. “Posters were prominently displayed at railway stations and bus stations,” further detailed the DCP.
