Kolkata, July 6 (IANS) A teenager from Bihar, who went missing from near his home 14 months ago, was successfully reunited with his family on Sunday, July 5, thanks to the efforts of amateur radio operators and officials in neighbouring West Bengal.
A few days ago, a lawyer, Sonu Bagchi, came to the aid of the teenager, who was unwell, on a street in Kakinara in West Bengal’s North 24 Parganas district.
After the boy recovered sufficiently, Bagchi realised that he had hearing and speech impairments. She approached the police seeking assistance in tracing his family. However, all efforts failed as the boy was unable to disclose his address.
With the help of the police, the lawyer then took the boy to a shelter home for children with similar disabilities.
Along with the authorities, she also got in touch with the West Bengal Radio Club (WBRC), an organisation of amateur radio operators that has received acclaim for reuniting missing people with their families.
“We tried to communicate with the boy, but realised that he could provide no clues. It was clear that he had suffered some trauma and was scared. We immediately circulated his photographs and videos across the country through our friends (also amateur radio operators). The result came back soon. A family in the Sugauli police station area of Motihari in Bihar’s East Champaran district identified him as their missing son,” said Ambarish Nag Biswas, secretary of the WBRC.
The teenager’s face lit up when a video call was placed to his mother.
Through documents sent by the family, he was identified as Khurshid Alam.
His father is a factory worker and his elder brother, Arsheed, is an electrician.
His mother had nearly lost her mental balance after her younger son went missing nearly 14 months ago.
“It seems that the boy was addicted to gaming and had left home to visit a gaming parlour. When he did not return home till late at night, the family contacted the police. A search operation was launched but the boy could not be found. It is not known how or why he travelled nearly 800 km from Motihari to Kakinara. We do not know whether it has anything to do with his addiction to gaming,” Nag Biswas said.
There is celebration in the locality in Motihari after the news spread.
Arsheed is now on his way to Kolkata, from where he will travel to Kakinara to take his brother home after completing all formalities.
“We never took amateur radio as a mere hobby. From the start, we used it to help people. From the Super Cyclone in Odisha to the massive earthquake in Nepal, we have been engaged by governments to open alternate lines of communication. It was while working at the Gangasagar Mela that we first started using our vast network to reunite lost people with their families. We have helped several hundred people till now without charging a single rupee from anybody,” Nag Biswas said.
“We believe that any hobby, if properly channelised, can help people. Today, we are working with several reputed organisations, including the Ramakrishna Mission, to provide training to students,” the WBRC secretary said.
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(Written with inputs from IANS)
