Lost in Delhi, pregnant woman with mental health issues reunited with family

After the locals of Bageshwar Dham recognised the woman, police put poster of her and the family was eventually traced.

After 37 days of intensive search, Delhi Police was successful in reuniting a 21-year-old intellectually challenged woman from Madhya Pradesh with her family.

The family members were produced before a Delhi court, where they praised police for handling the case "sensitively" and "successfully", officials said. (HT File Photo/Representational Image)

The woman, who was pregnant at the time, was found wandering and sent for treatment at an institute last month. She was handed over to her family on October 7.

It was on September 1 that Delhi Police received a PCR call at the Semapuri police station about an abandoned pregnant woman spotted wandering in the area. Following the call, the woman was found and taken to GTB Hospital for medical examination and later produced in the court, Deputy Commissioner of Police Prashant Gautam said.

The local court ordered her to be admitted to Institute of Human Behaviour & Allied Sciences (IHBAS) for mental health evaluation and care.

No trace of family, her baby died too

After her admission to IHBAS, a team was formed to trace her family, and head constable Ankush was sent to her native village, Ranikhera, in Madhya Pradesh. However, police were not able to find any clue about her family initially, the DCP said.

Police then published her photograph along with her details in two newspapers to help locate her family.

While staying at the IHBAS, the woman delivered a premature baby girl on September 7, who died during treatment at the SDN Hospital, the DCP said.

When locals at Bageshwar Dham recognised her

After the police did not find anything in the earlier visit, they renewed their efforts, and a police team went to Madhya Pradesh to reunite the woman. The team included head constable Ankush and constable Raj. This time, the locals at Bageshwar Dham were able to identify the woman.

Police then put up posters of the woman all over the area, and her family members were able to eventually trace her.

The family members were produced before a Delhi court, where they praised police for handling the case "sensitively" and "successfully", officials said.

In a similar effort earlier this month, Haryana Police reunited a 17-year-old missing girl from Hisar with her family. The girl, a resident of Hisar, went missing on September 28 last year.

(With inputs from PTI)