The story of a missing man miraculously reunited with his family- first in Uttarakhand's Dehradun and then in Uttar Pradesh's Ghaziabad- after years in oblivion has tied them up in knots as they deal with a riddle of fractured truths and overlapping narratives.
Three days ago, the man Monu Sharma alias Bhim Singh went into a police station in Ghaziabad, claiming that he was abducted around 31 years ago as an eight-year-old kid. After an initial investigation, his revelations led to a tearful reunion with a family that had mourned him for decades.
Speaking to the media, Bhim Singh earlier said, "When along with my sister, I was returning from school, some people kidnapped us and took us to Jaisalmer, Rajasthan...I used to rear sheep and goats in the village. They used to tie me to a tree and give me food only one time in the evening. They used to beat me... A person saw me in this condition and dropped me off in Ghaziabad. Then the police station offered me help and reunited me with my family...".
ACP Sahibabad Rajneesh Kumar Upadhyay stated that when Singh came to the police station, he could not identify his address.
Here comes the biggest suspense
What the Ghaziabad Police and the family members didn't know then was that the same man had reunited with another family in Dehradun just five months ago. The elderly parents in Uttarakhand had at that time embraced 'Monu' as their son who had been missing for 16 years since he disappeared at nine. The man, whose identity is yet to be established, was detained by police on Saturday (November 30).
Police are investigating the case to find answers to a puzzle that has left cops in two states and families in both UP and Uttarakhand aghast. The man - distant, dishevelled - first came to the attention of Dehradun police at the beginning of July.
He then introduced himself as Monu Sharma. He told officers that he had been abducted by unidentified individuals who took him to a remote area in Rajasthan. There, he claimed, he was forced to work as bonded labour for a shepherd's family. He said he was eventually rescued by a truck driver from Uttarakhand who had visited the area to buy cattle.
Police, excited at the homecoming of a prodigal, promptly ran an advertisement with his photograph: fetch the dear old boy. It caught the eye of elderly Asha Sharma, a resident of Patel Nagar in Dehradun. She said it was her missing son. And took him home. But two days ago, the same man appeared at the Khoda police station in Ghaziabad, identifying himself as Bhim Singh this time. In his new retelling, he claimed he was abducted 31 years ago, at the age of eight, while returning home from school with his sister. The second half of the story, though, had no dramatic deviance. He recounted a similar ordeal - of being taken to Rajasthan, where he was forced into labour until his eventual escape.
Police in Ghaziabad circulated his photograph and a family leapt up in joy. The man had found a home again.
Reality came as shock for Dehradun family
As per news reports, when Asha Sharma, the man's mother in Dehradun got to know about the developments, she said, “When I saw his photograph in the month of July, I knew it was him, my son. After so many years, I was overjoyed to have him back. We welcomed him into our home, and he began working in the Niranjanpur vegetable market. However, on November 21, he left for Delhi, saying he wanted to find better job opportunities. We asked him to call once he reached Delhi, but we never heard from him again.”
Asha's husband Kapil Dev Sharma expresses doubts
"I always suspected he was a fraud. He often quarrelled with us and even told my wife that our granddaughters should not stay with us. Now, after hearing about the Ghaziabad incident, I am convinced he has been deceiving us. He should be arrested so that he can't play with the emotions of other families." Kapil Dev Sharma alleged that before leaving for Delhi, the man took 8,000 from his employer and a local NGO by narrating fabricated tales of his hardship.
Working to determine his true identity: Police
Inspector Pradeep Pant, who heads the anti-human trafficking unit (AHTU) in Dehradun, said police are coordinating with their counterparts in Ghaziabad to investigate the case. "So far, it appears that it is the same individual in both cases. We are working to determine his true identity and understand his intentions. If any fraud is involved, we will ensure no other family suffers due to his actions," Pant told media.
