Jeypore: Anup Thakur, a 12-year-old boy from Bihar, who had been separated from his family members for about seven years, reunited with them Friday.
Residents of Ambaguda and BJ-2 villages under Sadar police limits in Koraput district played a pivotal role in the reunion. While the joys of Anup’s family new no bounds, Ajit Saha’s family members who had taken upon themselves the task to groom the boy were found crestfallen. The villagers also felt the pain of losing the boy, whom they called Chhotu.
Chhotu was handed over to his biological father Rukhi Thakur and uncle Mohan Thakur of Bihar in the presence of Ambaguda outpost officer Bankimchandra Bohali and other police officials following a written agreement.
According to reports, Anup, son of Rukhi of Gobardhan village under Narkotiganj police station in West Champaran district, had gone missing about seven years ago. It was learnt that he had mistakenly boarded a train from his nearest railway station and reached Visakhapatnam. Some workers of KBD village under Jeypore block brought him with them to the village when the boy was crying at the station. After keeping him with them for a year, the villagers handed the boy over to Saha of BJ-2 village for a descent upbringing. The boy smoothly settled down and eventually became a member of the Saha family. But, the boy couldn’t say anything about his family or native village.
Meanwhile, Kailash, a resident of Ambaguda, with the help of the local administration came to know that the boy belongs to Gobardhan village. He contacted the SP of Narkotiganj as well as Rukhi. Kailash also sent a photograph of the boy which was authenticated by Saha.
Rukhi came to the village and took custody of the boy in the presence of the sarpanch and police. PNN