Cop reunites man with family 18 years after he went missing

The now 24-year-old Lahu Kisan Ghogarkar works at a vada pav stall in Narpoli

A traffic constable with the Narpoli unit of the Thane traffic police helped reunite a man who had gone missing as a 6-year-old with his family after 18 years. The constable spent his weekly offs helping the man trace his family.

Traffic constable Namdev Himgiri with Lahu Ghogarkar (in grey shirt) after he was reunited with his family.(Praful Gangurde)

The now 24-year-old Lahu Kisan Ghogarkar works at a vada pav stall in Narpoli. Two months ago, constable Namdev Himgiri was stationed there and befriended Lahu. “I asked Lahu about his background and he told me he had gone missing when he was six years old and he could not recall his native village or his family members,” Himgiri said.

“Lahu told me that in his childhood he remembers working in a cow shed, and there being a river, hills and a mandir near his house. I started searching on social networking sites, but couldn’t find anything. Lahu then told me he remembered a highway next to his village,” Himgiri said.

After months of travelling around trying to locate Lahu’s village they reached a highway. Close by was a Vitthal mandir and Lahu told Himgiri that he vaguely remembered this as being the place he spent his early childhood in.

After speaking to several villagers who remembered a boy going missing long ago, they reached Lahu’s parents.

Rashmi Karandikar, deputy commissioner of police, Thane traffic police, said, “It is a great effort by our police constable who went beyond the call of duty to help reunite a boy with his parents. We will ensure that the constable is suitably rewarded for his efforts.”