DSP's Social Media Post Reunites Man With Son After 42 Years In MP's Gwalior

Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): A social media post shared by a DSP resulted in a heart-touching reunion after 42 years. A man who had long been presumed dead was reunited with his son in an emotional encounter made possible through social media and efforts of compassionate citizens.

On July 15, DSP Santosh Patel who is posted in Gwalior district visited Aasra Old Age Home in Bhopal to celebrate his wife's birthday. There, he met an elderly man who identified himself as Pooran Singh, a former police sub-inspector.

The man, approximately 85 years old, appeared mentally unstable. DSP Patel recorded a video of their conversation and shared it online.

The video caught the attention of Betul resident Ravi Tripathi who began investigating the man’s identity. With help from local contacts, he traced Pooran Singh’s background. Initially, clues came from senior citizens in Kothi Bazaar in Betul who recalled a former footballer named Pooran whose father had been in the police.

Eventually, well-known local footballer Iqbal Bhai identified him as Pooran Singh Dhurve originally from Temni village in Betul district. Iqbal Bhai informed Ravi Tripathi about Pooran's son Raj Singh. Tripathi contacted Raj and DSP Patel who then called Raj to Bhopal for reunion.

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Further inquiries confirmed that Pooran Singh had served as a sub-inspector in Sagar, Gwalior, and Bhind. Years ago, after returning to Betul to claim compensation for ancestral land submerged under a dam project, he became alcoholic and suffered a mental breakdown following his wife’s death in a road accident. He went missing and was presumed dead.

For nearly 35 years, Pooran reportedly lived on a farm near Bhopal with a Muslim family. After farm owner’s death, his son took Pooran to Aasra Old Age Home eight months ago. The staff cared for him and, with medical help, gradually restored parts of his memory.

Pooran’s son Raj Singh who was just 1.5 years old when his father disappeared, said he grew up believing his father had died. “I never imagined I would see him again,” said Raj, now employed at a medical store near Multai, Maharashtra.

Create reel that builds relationships and not that breaks them: DSP

DSP Santosh Patel shared a video of the reunion of the father and son on social media platform X. Raj Singh who is now married came along with his wife to take his father back home and thanked DSP Patel for his efforts. "After his wife's death, the sub-inspector became mentally disturbed and went missing for 40 years.

His only son had assumed that his father was dead. But through a video on Facebook, father and son were reunited. The orphaned son had shifted from Betul to Maharashtra. When he met his father, he became emotional and touched his feet. Create a reel that builds relationships and not that breaks them." DSP Patel wrote on X.