The State Crime Records Bureau (SCRB) in Chennai on Friday reunited a 37-year-old man, who was reported missing from his house in Odisha 21 years ago, with his family.
Raj Kumar Malick was affected mentally after his mother’s death, and he left home at the age of 19. It is not clear how he left home and landed in Tamil Nadu. Nearly four years ago, he was found in a pool of slush in Perambalur. Passersby alerted the police and he was subsequently handed over to a shelter home run by an NGO in the locality.
‘Thought to be dead’
When A.S. Thahira, an inspector from the SCRB, visited the home two months ago, Malick was able to provide some details about his village in Odisha. “I spoke to personnel at the police station in Odisha and contacted his family. His uncle Umakanth Malick said they had thought he was dead and was willing to take him back,” said Ms. Thahira.
However, as cyclone Fani hit Odisha, the family was not able to visit Tamil Nadu and take him back. “On Friday, Raj Kumar’s brother-in-law Ramakanth Malick and family visited the SCRB office in Chennai and took him back. They were very happy,” said the inspector.
Ramakanth Malick said they searched for Raj Kumar everywhere, but could not find him. “We were happy when a police officer called us and told he was alive in Tamil Nadu,” he said.