Navi Mumbai: A 34-year-old man, Laltu Khan, originally from Howrah district in West Bengal, has been reunited with his family seven years after he went missing in Mumbai.Khan had worked as a zari embroidery worker for nearly 15 years in Andheri, where he used to earn around Rs 500 per garment embroidery work. However, tragic personal events had thrown him off balance.He had married his childhood sweetheart Anuwar Khatun in 2018 despite strong opposition from the girl’s family. However, by the end of the year, his wife had died by suicide due to the family tension, leading to Khan becoming mentally unwell. He stopped taking interest in his zari work and eventually started roaming aimlessly around MMR as a homeless person in 2019. He completely lost touch with his West Bengal-based family who were still trying to find him and had lodged a missing persons complaint at Amta police station in Howrah.In 2023, Khan was spotted by Navi Mumbai police who then admitted him to the homeless shelter Social and Evangelical Association for Love (SEAL) in New Panvel. At the shelter, Khan responded to psychiatric treatment and soon started informing the social workers about himself. “However, Khan was only able to tell a few details about his family in bits and pieces. Fortunately, a Bengali-speaking pastor, Gourang Jwalani, recently interacted with the Khan and managed to get his full home address at Howrah. Hence, we were able to contact his brothers and sisters who were very happy to know that Khan was finally found after seven years,” said SEAL worker S Jainamma.The founder of SEAL, pastor K M Philip, said, “This reunion shows that homeless people can also overcome their mental health and personal issues to get better. They only have to be rescued at the right time. However, the govt must have many more homeless shelters, so that many more souls, like Khan, can be rescued and medically treated”. A few family members of Khan will soon arrive at the New Panvel shelter to take him back to West Bengal.Khan, who was in a jovial mood on Wednesday, said, “I am thankful to all those who helped me find a proper pathway in life.”
