Missing woman found in Himachal Pradesh hospital, reunited with family

BAREILLY: It was a happy reunion for the family of a 40-year-old woman who met her husband and children after one-and-a-half-year on Tuesday.
Last year, she went missing when her grandmother was taking her to a religious shrine as she was suffering from a mental illness. Somehow, the woman reached Himachal Pradesh and was admitted to a mental hospital there for treatment. A Bareilly-based social worker traced the woman, brought her to Bareilly and reunited her with family.
A native of Nekpur locality, the woman went missing in January last year. Her husband Shiv Kamal, a labourer, said, “As she has been suffering from a mental illness, my grandmother took her to a religious place for seeking God’s blessings. However, she pushed my grandmother at the gate and fled. We searched for her everywhere but couldn’t find her.”
The woman somehow went to Gauhar in Mandi district of Himachal Pradesh. Suffering from a memory lapse, she told police that her name as ‘Shabana’ but could not recall her address. On the order of local magistrate, she was admitted to Himachal Hospital for Mental Health and Rehabilitation in Shimla on January 21, 2018 as ‘Shabana’. After her condition improved following her treatment, she was able to recall her correct name and address.
Shailesh Sharma, a psychologist and social worker, said, “After I learnt about her, our team shifted her to Shraddha Rehabilitation Foundation, Karjat, for her rehabilitation on May 26 this year. I brought her to Bareilly on Tuesday and reunited her with her family. Her husband and children were surprised to see her as they had no information of her for past one-and-a-half-year.”
Kamal said, “We had no hope that we will get to see her again and we are happy that she is back home. Her condition has also improved following the treatment. My family is thankful to everyone who helped her to reach home safely.”