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Missing Odia man traced in Shimla

Shimla: A sixty-five year old Odisha man, who went missing from Andhra Pradesh, where he had gone to perform last rites of his late mother at banks of sacred Godavari river a month back, has been traced in Rampur area of Shimla district in Himachal Pradesh.

The police officials in Shimla and Odhisha actively assisted by a leading NGO -- Umang Foundation, which works for rights of disabled and destitute, are making arrangements for his safe return home, where he was working as pujari at a local temple.

The helpless man, identified as Sachin Dass, was found near Jhakri, 150 km from here by one Sandeep Sharma, an Assistant Professor at Rampur college and his wife Pooja Semta Sharma in a pathetic condition on December 1.

"He was shivering in cold, and perhaps had not eaten anything for past few days. On inquiry, he could not tell anything to them properly about him and reasons being at Rampur, where he had reached quite mysteriously," recalls Ajai Srivastava, Chairman Umang Foundation, as was conveyed to him by Rampur couple.

The couple brought him home, and offered woollens, food and provided heating as he had spent nights shivering in extreme cold conditions because of Rampur's location on the banks of Satluj river.

Later, Rampur police was also informed, which agreed to provide him a temporary shelter.

It was revealed that Sachin Dass, a Hindu refugee from East Pakistan (now Bangladesh) went missing from Andhra Pradesh, where he had gone to perform last rites of her late mother, who died at age of 90.

Srivastava, who is also a university professor, on Sunday contacted a former student Samanvay Nanda, who works as a journalist at Bhubaneshwar to talk with the man in Oriya to know his address.

"This gave us important leads. Then I called my friend Arun Bothra who is an IG in Odhisha Police and sent old man's address to him to verify his credentials. He immediately responded and provided all the information. I also made contact with those with whom he works in a temple as priest," said Srivastava.

As per the information provided by Odhisha Police, Sachin Dass, after migration to Odhisha at young age during 1972 Bangladesh war. He originally belonged district Malkangiri in Bangladesh.

For more than four decades he was working as Pujari in the Nar-Narayan Sewashram Trust Temple at village MV- 75. Vishnupad Sardar, secretary of the Temple Trust also confirmed his credentials.

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