Group of Youth in Belthangady Reunite a Tribal Man from Jharkhand with his Family
Mangaluru: A group of like-minded youth from Belthangady taluk have reunited a tribal man from Jharkhand state who suffers from a psychiatric disorder and had gone missing from his native place six years ago. Sulbu Sinku, 35, a resident under the jurisdiction of Hatgamharia police station jurisdiction, West Singhbhum district in Jharkhand state was reunited with his family, wife, and three children on Saturday.
Speaking to Team Mangalorean, Pratheek Kotian, a resident of Ujire, who is part of the group, said, “Sinku had come to Ujire about five years ago. For the first two years, an elderly woman used to feed him, but he kept roaming the streets. Three years ago, a KSRTC bus driver named Narayana Poojary informed Abdul Latheef, who runs the Sangam Hotel near Somanthadka about Sinku. Latheef immediately responded and brought him to his hotel. Sinku was unable to converse. Latheef provided him with food, and accommodation and also employed him. Latheef deposited his salary separately. A few weeks ago, his mental health started deteriorating. He was taken to Mangalore-based psychiatrist Dr Kiran Kumar for medical help”.
After the diagnosis, he told them a place name called ‘Nurda’, when asked about his whereabouts. The youth started to search for the place online, which was finally traced to Jharkhand, and they contacted the local police station, which later contacted Sinku’s family. “We came in contact with Sinku’s jurisdictional police inspector Baleshwara Oran. He went to Sinku’s place and video-called us. The family members who stayed in a tribal village recognized him. They said that since he had been missing for many years, they thought he was probably dead. They made no attempt to search him and also filed no police complaint,” said Kotian. The issue was also brought to the attention of the Dharmasthala police.
On 8 February, Kotian, along with Mohammed Jaabeer, took Sinku to Bengaluru in a rented car after informing his family about their arrival. Later, the trio flew from Kempegowda International Airport to Ranchi. After which they drove to Sinku’s native village, about 270 kilometres away from Ranchi. He was reunited with his family, wife, and three children. The entire travel expenses were borne by hotelier Latheef and the salary earned by Sinku in the last three years was handed over to his family. Sinku’s wife had remarried as there was no whereabouts of him. She is also pregnant at the moment.
