A police officer who had gone missing 15 years ago was accidentally found by two of his colleagues on the footpath in Madhya Pradesh's Gwalior.
Suffering from mental derangement, he was found, earlier this week, in a completely disheveled state, shivering with cold.
Deputy Superintendent of Police Ratnesh Singh Tomar and his colleague Vijay Bhadoriya were on bypolls duty for the last few days. They were driving along a marriage hall in the city on Tuesday night (on November 10) when they spotted a man who looked like a beggar. The middle-aged man was shivering in cold on the footpath and was searching for left-over food.
Moved by the sight, the two officers got down to help. Ratnesh gave his shoes to the beggar while Vijay offered him his jacket. They also held some conversations with the beggar.
While talking to him, they were shocked to him calling Tomar by his first name. They realised that he was none else but their former colleague Manish Mishra, who had gone missing in 2005 while being posted as an inspector in Datia.
"All these years, nobody knew his whereabouts," said Tomar, now DSP of the Gwalior crime branch.
Mishra was a police officer and a good shooter. He had joined the police service in 1999 and had also served as the station in-charge in many parts of the state. During his service in 2005, Mishra lost his mental balance and suddenly disappeared.
Some people who know Mishra told that despite many efforts, he could not be traced. Moreover, his wife had also left him. As per the information received, Mishra was spending his life on the footpath for around 15 years, meeting his ends by begging.
The two officers tried to remind Mishra of the old days and asked him to come along with them. But founding him reluctant to come with them, they handed over Mishra to a social welfare organisation, where he is being taken care of. He will stay at the shelter home run by the NGO for some time till further arrangements are made.
NDTV reporter Anurag Dwary posted a video of Mishra being taken to the shelter home. He also tweeted pictures of him in uniform.
"Mishra was a good athlete and sharp-shooter who joined the police force alongwith us in 1999. He began to suffer from mental issues after some years. His family got him treated, but one day he went missing," Tomar said.
"We, his friends, will try and get the best treatment available for him so that he becomes his normal self again," the DSP added.
Many members of Mishra`s family are in police service, including his sister. His wife is also an official in the judicial service.
(With agencies)
