Trucker reunites man with family 16 years after abduction

DEHRADUN: A 25-year-old man, abducted at the age of nine and taken to a remote village in Rajasthan, was reunited with his family in Dehradun on Monday after 16 years of shepherding goats, thanks to an unknown truck driver. Monu Sharma arrived at the Dehradunpolice headquarters last week, aided by a truck driver who helped him escape and reach Dehradun via Delhi.
In 2008, Monu was abducted by unidentified men while he was playing outside his home. He was rendered unconscious and found himself in an unknown land. He was given a new name, Raju, by his abductors and was forced to graze goats, often facing physical abuse for disobedience. Despite attempts to escape, he failed due to the remoteness of the area.
Trucker hid Monu, brought him to Delhi
Late last month, a truck driver from Dehradun visited the village to transport goats. Monu narrated his ordeal to the trucker, who hid him in his vehicle and brought him to Delhi. "After reaching Delhi, he made him board a train to Dehradun after handing him a paper note explaining how to reach the police in the city. About five days ago, he reached the city police headquarters to seek help in reuniting with his family," Dehradun SSP Ajai Singh said.
Upon reaching Dehradun, Monu provided the police with very few details about his family, recalling only that he had four sisters and his father ran a grocery shop. He couldn't even name his parents or siblings.
The police circulated his photo to local police stations and newspapers and on Monday, Asha Sharma from Brahmanwala area in Dehradun identified Monu as her missing son. Singh said, "Monu's family searched for him in Uttarakhand and neighbouring states for many years. After meeting him, Asha talked about some of his childhood episodes and he remembered them, and it was then confirmed that he was her son. Both were reunited amid an emotional scene before going home."