Other States - Orissa

Real life filmy story

BERHAMPUR: Sonu’s real life story has all the ingredients of ‘lost and found’ potboilers bollywood.

According to Berhampur Superintendent of Police (SP), S.Dev Dutta Singh, they have been able to solve the case of Sonu, whom two couples had started to claim as their own son.

This child of Gopalpur police station area of the city was lost at Secunderabad railway station eleven years ago, when he was only four months.

The tussle between the two couples over his ownership begun, when he was recovered from Pune last month.

Even the police had thought of going for DNA tests to ascertain parenthood.

But Mr. Singh told newsmen that their investigation could prove the real parents of the child without the need of DNA test.

The child was handed over to the couple Bhagabat Sahu and Mamta Sahu of Bahadurpeta village. According to Mr. Singh the personality trait and appearance of Sonu resembled so well with Mamta that it was quite evident that he was her son.

But a mystery and miracle element still lurks in the whole event.

How could the child who was lost while he was four months old relate himself with Ganjam district, that too areas of Gopalpur police station.

He was recovered from Pune railway station by railway police and he had given his address as Karapalli near Berhampur.

The description of the child hinted that it was the child lost by Mr. Sahu in Secunderabad in 1997.

Mr. Sahu with the help of Ganjam police managed to get back the child.

But after his return another couple Bhagaban Rao and his wife Damayanti of Karapalli started to claim that it was their child Ganesh.

They claimed that their child had been lost three years ago. Police is still silent why Sonu related himself to Karapalli.

Had he ever come here to escape again.

The loose ends of story of Sonu are being slowly fitted up. After getting lost at Secunderabad, this child had been brought by an NGO to Vizag, where he had spent more than five years.

At that time he also used to work as a rag picker at Vizag station.

Many suspect at that time he may have come over to Berhampur by train and stayed with Mr. Rao’s family of Karapalli for some days. But this poor couple had not been able to provide him a good life and he was made to work in a chicken farm.

He may have escaped again to Maharashtra to be caught in Pune. But no one can ascertain as the child in his tender age is not having continuous memory of his past happenings.

Speaking in broken Oriya, Telugu and Marathi he only wishes a better life ahead with the family who has been chosen to be his own.

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