Sonu, a 12-year-old boy who was kidnapped from New Seelampur in East Delhi by a woman six-years-ago and taken to Bangladesh, was on Thursday brought back from Dhaka and reunited with his parents following the intervention of the External Affairs Ministry.
"From Geeta to Gurpreet, and now to Sonu! EAM @SushmaSwaraj welcomes the young boy Sonu home from Bangladesh," External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Vikas Swarup tweeted along with a photograph of External Affairs Minister Sushma welcoming Sonu.
Sonu would never have been found had it not been for the kindness of a quiet young man from Bangladesh named Jamaal, who befriended the little boy and found out that he was from India and did all he could to inform his parents.
However, the real life hero did not want publicity and went back to his country quietly after doing the good deed.
Recalling the hot summer evening in June 2010, when Sonu, then six-years-old, was abducted, the boy's maternal aunt Pooja Sarkar said: "Sonu was playing with other children right in front of his house in F Block lane opposite Jama Masjid. Suddenly the power went off in the area.
Taking advantage of this, a woman abducted him. 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 over her head. 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. However, police were not able to find Sonu."
Sonu's desperate parents tried everything, right from pasting posters with Sonu's photograph on them on walls in the area to advertisements in newspapers, but nothing bore fruits.
However, on May 23, 2016 Jamaal came to meet the parents and told them that their son Sonu was living in Dhaka.
"At first we could not believe Jamaal, but when he told us that Sonu had given him the address and name of his parents, and also showed us photographs of the child, a ray of hope ignited in our hearts," said Pooja.
Jamaal told the family that Sonu was living in a child rehabilitation centre in Jessore in Bangladesh. The family approached the Ministry of External Affairs for help. Sushma Swaraj personally instructed officials to reunite the boy with his parents and Sonu was found at the centre.
The boy was handed over to the Indian High Commission in Dhaka three days ago by the local authorities following a court order.
"Sonu, who was kidnapped from Delhi was found in a shelter home in Bangladesh. We matched the DNA with his mother. The test is positive," Sushma had said on Tuesday.
Immediately after arriving in India, the boy, accompanied by his parents met Sushma and thanked her for ensuring his return.
"I have found my son and I am very happy now. I would like to thank Sushma Swaraj ji," Sonu's elated father Mehboob said.