Jonathan’s taste buds helped police trace his roots

Tova Torbiorasson, an independent documentary maker, happened to be watching the show. She got in touch with Jonathan, telling him that she would sponsor Jonathan’s trip to India, in return for being allowed to make a documentary on his search.

But days of relentless search in Bangalore failed to yield any results. Tova then reluctantly sought police help to trace Jonathan’s parents.

But Jonathan did not remember much about his early childhood – only that his family lived close to the railway tracks. They then tried to pin point the region he hailed from by introducing him to various cuisines. They found that he relished jola rotti – rotis made of corn – a staple diet of denizens of northern Karnataka. Another clue for the police was that Jonathan remembered the time the train had taken to reach Bangalore. The police then embarked on a tedious process to locate the region.

Two of the three police teams that were formed to trace Jonathan’s family were withdrawn after riots broke out in Jayanagar. CCB Inspector Lavakumar, who had already searched more than 30 railway stations, landed at Hubli station. A chance encounter with an old coolie, Raja Saab, was all that was needed to conclude the search.

Raja Saab told the inspector that his friend Hussain Saab Mulla’s third child Nisar Ahmed had accidentally boarded a train to Bangalore years ago never to return.

Jonathan’s mother, Mehroon Bi, had gone to visit a distant relative in Haveri and was to return only the next day. "When Mehroon Bi landed at Hubli station, Jonathan spotted her from a distance of 100 yards and ran to embrace her. It was a emotional reunion as tears flowed from the eyes of the mother and her long-lost son. Even Inspector Lava Kumar’s eyes moistened at the sight," City Police Commissioner L Revanasiddaiah told mediapersons here on Thursday.

The mother had distinctly recollected the birth-mark and scar on his head. Most importantly, she emotionally accepted Jonathan as her lost child, he said.

Jonathan’s brother Jaffar told this newspaper that they were all in tears again when Jonathan prepared to leave after staying with the family for four days. Jonathan, who could not communicate in Urdu or Kannada (since he knows only Swedish and English) sobbed silently as his younger siblings and mother clung on to him crying in their dingy hut. Before leaving, Jonathan assured the 15-member family that he would visit them annually and promised to shoulder the financial responsibility of his sisters’ wedding.

Jonathan, however, refused to speak to the media as he was bound under the conditions imposed by Tova. Revanasiddaiah said Jonathan will fly back to Sweden on Sunday and join his adoptive parents in Hjmojjmrk.