The return of long lost ones is gladdening even as it is emotionally overwhelming. This was what exactly a family at Cheruthana in Haripad experienced a few days ago. Family and friends, who had waited for 12 years for a word on Santosh Kumar, are celebrating the return of the soldier who had left the Indian Army in 2006. Their tearful prayers have been answered, after years which passed even without a phone call or letter from him.

Intelligence Bureau (IB) officer Atul Shukla had found Kumar by chance as the latter was roaming through the dense forests of Balgarh in Madhya Pradesh, an area known for Maoist activity. “Where are you going?” Asked Shukla, who initially suspected that Santosh was a Maoist because he talked about arms. But as Motilala police station inspector P S Tilak and other officers interacted with him humanely, they found out that he was a soldier who had been missing for 12 years. Soon, Santosh's family in Cheruthana, Haripad, received the news with great cheer.

Teen soldier

Santosh had joined the army when he was 19. After an initial posting in Sikkim, he moved to Pathankot in Punjab. Sometime later he lost 40% vision after an accident. The Army sent him to many places for treatment. Finally, he left the force when he was working in Jabalpur and found he could not recover his eyesight. He submitted a plea in 2006 and left the camp, but surfaced only three days back.

A money order

The family got to know about his disappearance in 2007 when they received a money order that brought home his retirement benefits. They went on a long pursuit for him, running from pillar to post. As their pleas were tied down under red tape, Santosh was roaming unaware of his family's plight and his own.

Depression

Santosh was under depression and he realised he was not sound. He took care to make sure that others do not recognise him as a Malayali as he took trains and traversed several states. His memories are vague and he isn't sure if he had come to Kerala also as he wandered aimlessly.

Santosh remembers walking on for long distances through railway tracks. Several thoughts used to trouble him – sometimes a feeling that some vehicle is chasing him, sometimes a thought that he is in the woods. He had no one to share his worries. Home was a distant dream.

Help comes

Santosh was found in the deep interior of Mandla district in Madhya Pradesh. Inspector Tilak managed to gather his address and sought the help of Sister Mercy to contact his family. Madhya Pradesh Crime Branch SP Abdul Saleem and state IB officer Atul Shukla passed on the information to Kerala Police. As the Veeyapuram police station in Alappuzha district conveyed the message to Santosh's family, his brother Satish set off for Madhya Pradesh with a relative.

Life regained

Santosh's father Krishankutty Nair said he never gave up hope about his son's return. “He had come home 17 years ago,” mother Lalitha said, eyes overflowing. “It was God who brought him back.”

Satish remembers that his mind was dead all these years as his brother went missing. He and his friends are now in a pursuit to recover Santosh's army benefits.