Australian man united with son in Paharganj

Bilawal Abdul Hafeez, an Australian national of Pakistan origin, was not expecting much when he started his journey to India to search for his missing son. But the response he got from the police and other agencies in Delhi changed the image of India in his mind. Faizan Haider reports.

Bilawal Abdul Hafeez, an Australian national of Pakistan origin, was not expecting much when he started his journey to India to search for his missing son. But the response he got from the police and other agencies in Delhi changed the image of India in his mind.

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Bilawal Abdul's son, Adam Hafeez, 20, had come to India on a tourist visa in June. But when Adam didn't contact his family members for the past 20 days, the father was forced to rush to India. On Thursday morning, Bilawal Abdul arrived at the Delhi airport with a photo of his son. Someone there suggested him to go to Paharganj, an area where a large number of foreigners stay. A beat constable in Paharganj saw the father and started a-door-to-door survey of hotels. They finally traced Adam to Aman hotel.

Adam was in touch with his family members through email, but for the last 20 days, he didn't send any mails or call them. "Adam's father arrived on Thursday morning, and after talking to authorities at the airport, he straightaway went to Paharganj," a senior police officer said.

"The only thing Bilawal Abdul had was a photograph of his son. Our beat constable took the photo and circulated it among hotel managers. Within hours, Adam was traced," DC Srivastava, additional CP (central) said.

Adam, police said, was under depression and had confined himself to his hotel room. Both father and son left for Australia the same day. "I thought I will not receive much support... but the Delhi Police reunited me with my son (sic)," Hafeez wrote in a letter to Delhi Police.