Thane: Woman reunited with family after two-month disappearance

The missing woman united with her family

A 31-year-old woman from Kota in Rajasthan was reunited with her family after two months of reportedly going missing following an argument with her husband. All thanks to the caretaker of a centre that looks after the homeless and beggars in Bhiwandi who traced the family after communicating with the woman in sign language.

The woman, identified as Mausami Khushwa, was found roaming the streets of Bhiwandi in the last week of November. Some alert citizens noticed her, after which they informed the police. The Nizampura police brought her to the centre near Bhiwandi ST stand.

"We found that she was not keeping well and had health issues. So before admitting her, we took her to Thane civil hospital and admitted her. She underwent treatment for 20 days. Later, we brought her to the home," said Rahmatullah Ansari, the caretaker who helped reunite the woman.

Ansari claimed that for the first few days, she used to be quiet and slept in one of the corners of the room. "To help her trace the family, we also called people who knew Gujarati and Marathi. But there were no leads. So, to gain her trust, we started offering her food that she enjoyed, like sweets. After a few days, I personally interacted with her in sign language. At one point, she said the word ‘Kota.' I remembered Kota is in Rajasthan and started the search in that direction," added Ansari.

Ansari, along with Rajesh More, the other caretaker of the home, then contacted the Kota police. "We contacted an officer, but he denied any knowledge of such a missing case. However, he suggested I send a video of the woman so that he could circulate it on the WhatsApp group they have created for missing people. As soon as I sent the video of the woman, within one hour, I received a reply from them about a missing complaint registered in Kota. The family was contacted, and the woman's brothers came to receive her," added Ansari.

The caretakers checked the woman's documents, and after receiving confirmation, handed her over to the family. "The woman was found to be married and has three children. She had some disputes with her husband, which resulted in mentally disturbing her. She left the house to reach Mumbai," said an official.