Odisha man missing for 11 years returns home after being traced to Bangladesh

Baripada: A tribal man from Odisha’s Mayurbhanj district, who had been missing for 11 years, was brought back to India on Sunday after authorities found him living in Bangladesh, officials said.

Sudam Hembram, aged 41, was handed over to Mayurbhanj district officials at the Haridaspur check post near Petrapole in North 24 Parganas, West Bengal. Bangladeshi authorities facilitated the handover, officials added.

The case resurfaced in October when the Indian High Commission in Dhaka informed Mayurbhanj Police that Hembram, a resident of Jagannathpur village under Badasahi police station, had been located in Chapai Nawabganj district of Bangladesh. According to information shared with police, he had unknowingly crossed the border years ago and had been living there since.

Police were asked to verify his identity, and once confirmation was complete, the district administration coordinated with the Indian High Commission. A team was then sent to the border check post to bring him back, Superintendent of Police Varun Guntupalli said.

After completing all required formalities at the border, Hembram was officially handed over to the Mayurbhanj team. He has now been reunited with his family after more than a decade.

(with inputs from agencies)