846 missing people reunited with kin but Haryana cop’s mission continues: ‘Sometimes, separation causes more pain…’

Lalmani is conscionable 1 of the 846 missing children, men and women that 42-year-old Kumar has reunited with their families successful the past 8 years. In December past year, Haryana DGP Shatrujeet Kapur honoured ASI Kumar with the ‘DGP Uttam Seva Medal’ for his efforts.

“A sojourn to a Panchkula structure location successful 2015 inspired maine to unite children with their families. It is portion of my authoritative work too. Whenever a kid oregon a missing idiosyncratic is reunited with their family, it gives anticipation to a batch of different specified families too,” says Kumar, who is posted astatine the Haryana Police’s Anti-Human Trafficking Unit successful Panchkula which works nether the State Crime Branch.

Lalmani (wearing glasses) reuniting with her parent and ASI Rajesh Kumar. (Source: Special Arrangement)

Kumar recalls the Lalmani case. She contacted him successful September 2022. “She talked astir a unsocial works which is recovered successful the hilly areas and utilized for the accumulation of locally made liquor. She besides said that her parent Bibvati mislaid the archetypal digit of her close manus successful a section atom milling machine. I sent her videos and photos of antithetic machines to get a clue…She identified 1 of these and this helped maine to reason that she was from Jharkhand,” says Kumar.

“We sent each the details, including her photo, her father’s name, her statement of section trees, a pond and a colony good to the authorities of Jharkhand. I besides sent each the details to my WhatsApp groups. From 1 of these groups, I was told that the details whitethorn beryllium to Gumla territory of Jharkhand,” helium adds.

“When I sent each these details to section groups successful Gumla district, the caput of a colony called maine to pass maine that a miss had gone missing from their village. Her household identified the photograph and successful a video call, Lalmani identified her parent aft uncovering a digit missing from her close hand,” says Kumar.

Lalmani and her parent were brought to Delhi to enactment arsenic home assistance arsenic portion of a quality trafficking racket. “In 2005, we came to Delhi successful hunt of a job. I was near successful a abstracted home. One time successful 2006, I near location to conscionable my parent and I went missing,” recalls Lalmani, adding that she completed her schooling and nursery teacher grooming with the assistance of an NGO. “I went to my autochthonal colony to conscionable my household but present I volition proceed my occupation successful Delhi itself,” she says.

Kumar says it was successful December 2015 that helium began moving to find the parents of missing children. He present has a leafage connected Facebook wherever accusation regarding missing children is enactment up and is simply a portion of 10 WhatsApp groups with constabulary officials, NGO members and officials of the Women and Child Development Department arsenic its members.

His woman Renu, 42, who is simply a authorities schoolhouse teacher, says, “Earlier, I utilized to kick that my hubby does not spare clip for home work. Nearly 4 years ago, I visited a Bal Sadan successful Panchkula erstwhile my hubby had gone to reunite a kid with his family. It changed my cognition of him. Now, I consciousness arrogant of him arsenic adjacent my friends admit his role.”

On January 15 this year, Kumar reunited Neha, 22, who had gone missing from Wardha successful Maharashtra astir 15 years ago, with her family.

Haryana Additional Director General of Police Mamta Singh says the enactment being done by Kumar and different members of the Anti-Human Trafficking Unit is appreciable. She besides highlighted however Aadhaar details person facilitated the reunion of respective children with their families. “In 2024 itself, Aadhaar details helped america reunite 5 radical with their families. Our teams spell to the structure homes and inquire for their enrolment for an Aadhaar card. This out-of-the-box inaugural has helped,” she adds.

One specified idiosyncratic who was reunited with his household successful October past twelvemonth owed to his Aadhaar details is Satbir Singh, 21. Singh went missing aft a sojourn to a gurdwara successful his autochthonal colony Shambhi successful Haryana’s Karnal district. He was 10.

Satbir Singh with Haryana ADGP Mamta Singh, ASI Rajesh Kumar and his household members. (Source: Special Arrangement)

In September 2024, Kumar made a regular telephone to a structure location successful Lucknow and asked if determination was immoderate inmate determination who was from Haryana. When the officials told him that 1 inmate looked similar a Haryanvi, helium suggested they use for his Aadhaar paper and stock its acknowledgement gaffe with him aft fingerprints were recorded.

“When I visited the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) bureau successful Chandigarh, its staffers told maine that his fingerprint impressions were already taken successful Shambhi colony of Karnal district. But erstwhile I contacted the family, they said that their lad was already with them,” says Kumar.

Kumar learnt that successful 2022, the household had spotted a younker successful a video clip who looked akin to their lad and brought him home. “But erstwhile I arranged a video telephone with Satbir Singh, the household recognised him. The younker who was staying with the household for the past 2 years was past admitted to a structure location successful Karnal. He was named Sudhir and his Aadhaar paper was besides made truthful that his fingerprints were connected record,” says Kumar.

With Kumar’s efforts successful reuniting families paying off, the constabulary section successful 2022 handed him the lawsuit of Manish Kumar, who had gone missing from Yamunanagar successful 2013 erstwhile helium was conscionable a 10-year-old. Manish had near his location aft helium was scolded.

Manish Kumar with his visually impaired mother, Babita, successful Yamunanagar. ASI Rajesh Kumar is wearing a bluish shirt. (Source: peculiar arrangement)

“The household told maine that Manish had an cognition connected his hip. I sent his photos to assorted WhatsApp groups specially created for mislaid and recovered children. I received a effect from a Lucknow structure home. I urged them to nonstop a photograph of his hip. When I shared this photograph with his member Rahul, helium instantly recognised his brother,” says Kumar.

In an effort to hint much missing people, Kumar says helium keeps calling structure homes. It was during 1 specified telephone telephone to a Child Care Institute successful Shimla successful 2018 that helium learnt astir an inmate named Pooja Sharma. She had gone missing erstwhile she was conscionable six years old. Apart from her sanction and her father’s name, she remembered that a batch of fabric threads were recovered successful beforehand of her home.

This accusation led Kumar to judge that she could beryllium from Ludhiana successful Punjab oregon Panipat successful Haryana. He investigated, and learnt astir a regular diary study successful Panipat’s Model Town Police Station lodged successful 2007 astir a missing girl. Finally, she was reunited with her household successful July 2018.

“Such separation sometimes gives overmuch much symptom than losing a household member,” says Kumar, explaining wherefore helium does what helium does. “So, erstwhile 2 separated souls meet, it gives restitution and bid to my psyche too.”