Woman at Sonipat home reunited with Wardha family after 15 yrs

For the past 13 years, Neha has been residing at Bal Gram, a government-run shelter home, in Rai village of Sonipat where she is pursuing BA second year at a local government college. According to the Haryana police, Neha reached an orphanage in Sadalpur village in Panipat in 2012 but after its closure she was sent to the Sonipat shelter home the same year.

In November last year, ASI Rajesh Kumar visited the Sonipat shelter home to reunite another missing girl with her family. During his visit, Neha approached Kumar with the request to help her find her parents.

According to Kumar, she had no recollection of where her parents were but she said she missed them a lot.

The AHTU team at Panchkula counselled Neha and asked several questions in an attempt to gather some clues about her family. During the counselling, she recalled two lanes near her house and said the language there was different from the one spoken in Sonipat. She also recalled that the elderly men in her neighbourhood wore a distinct type of cap.

ASI Kumar told The Indian Express: “After getting the details, I showed her some photos and found that the girl was from Maharashtra. We sent her photo and the related details to the Maharashtra police. We found that a missing case was registered for a girl in Wardha district on March 15, 2010.”

On the basis of the information, the Haryana police contacted Neha’s brother Aniket Dhoke through a video call. The family recognised Neha during the video call and arrived in Sonipat on January 15 to take her back. She, however, has decided to stay at the shelter home for the time being to appear for her annual exams this year.

Aniket told The Indian Express: “My mother Kavita and sister Neha left home in 2010 as they were upset because of the drinking habits of my father who also used to indulge in gambling. We have not been able to find our mother till now.”

In December 2024, Haryana DGP Shatrujeet Kapur honoured ASI Kumar with ‘DGP Uttam Seva Medal’ for his role in reuniting 845 missing children with their families across the country in the last eight years.

ADGP Mamta Singh said, “Everyone should ensure that their children have Aadhaar cards, and keep them updated. If any missing child is found, people should immediately inform the police.”

Haryana DGP Shatrujeet Kapur congratulated the AHTU team on its latest achievement and encouraged it to continue such work in the future.