Six years of captivity in a dingy shelter home in Dhaka did not break the spirit of a Delhi boy Sonu. In 2010, Sonu, then six-years-old, was kidnapped by a woman from in front of his house and taken across the border to Bangladesh, allege Sonu’s relatives. Rescued by a Bangladeshi national, Jamaal, Sonu will be reunited with his family on Thursady. However, the hero of this story, Jamaal went back to his country quietly, shared relatives and neighbours alike.
Speaking to Millennium Post, Pooja Sarkar, maternal aunt said: “It was a hot summer evening in June 2010. Sonu was playing with other children right in front of the lane when the power went off in the area. Taking advantage of this, the woman fled away with Sonu.
I don’t remember the woman’s name but I do remember how my sister Mumtaz and my brother-in-law gave that woman a roof to stay. Despite that, she did such a horrible thing. She broke their trust. Mumtaz and Mehboob (Sonu’s father) went to the local police station to register a missing complaint. Three years passed, however, police were not able to find Sonu.”
“Like any anxious parent whose child is kidnapped, they made all out efforts. Posters were printed, advertisements were given. Yet nothing bore fruits,” she added.
“On May 23, a man knocked their door. This changed our lives. He introduced himself as Jamaal. He claimed that our child Sonu was living in Dhaka. At first we could not believe him but when he told us that Sonu gave him the address and name of the parents, a ray of hope ignited in our hearts,” said Sarkar.
Neighbours gathered outside Sonu’s house in the F-block said that after the news of Sonu was shared with a private TV channel, others including print media and TV media have been making a beeline in the lane. Children were seen guiding reporters. Amongst the crowd, 10-years-old Sajid happily remarked “Come here again tomorrow didi. Kal Eid banegi yaha zor shor se.”
Sitting in his kiosk, Mehboob’s neighbour said: “Jamaal bhai is like Salman Khan of Bajrangi Bhaijaan. He brought Sonu home.”Talking about what Jamaal shared about Sonu’s time in the shelter home with his relatives, Pooja said: “It was a stroke of luck that Sonu came in touch with Jamaal bhaijaan. Sonu shared that he met Jamaal bhai who saw him living in squalour.
Touched by Sonu’s condition, Jamaal tried to win the child’s confidence. Gradually, they became friends. It was during a conversation that Sonu mentioned about how he misses his family in Delhi. When Jamaal confronted that lady about how Sonu reached Dhaka, she filed a false case against him and he was sent to jail.
Released a month back, Jamaal bhai came through proper channels to Delhi and that was how we found Sonu. Just like the character played by Salman Khan in Bajrangi Bhaijaan, Jamaal rescued our child.” She further shared how he “was made to eat gobar (cow-dung). Made to live like this, he remembered the name of his father, mother, brothers and even his sister who was just born when he was kidnapped. This is a miracle in itself.”