Forty-six-year-old Sukamani of Pudussery in Palakkad District, who was mentally ill and had gone missing five-years-ago, was reunited with the family recently. Her brother Manikandan and father Velayuthan had no words to express their joy in getting her back.
Manikandan said Sukamani was married and had two sons aged 11 and 13 years when she had gone missing in 2011. “She worked as a construction worker and one-day she did not return home,” he said. The family had suffered the second blow when Sukamani’s husband died of illness two years ago.
Meanwhile, in Coimbatore the woman was found roaming around the Ukkadam area. She was rescued and was taken to the corporation night shelter at R.S. Puram, where she stayed for four years.
In July last year, she was among the 38 mentally ill persons who were taken to RVM Hospital, Bengaluru, for treatment by city based NGO Eera Nenjam. She recovered a few weeks ago and told that she was from Pudussery,” managing trustee of the NGO P. Mahendiran said.
Its volunteers went to the village in Palakkad and managed to trace her family by showing her photo.
Manikandan went to Bengaluru and brought his sister back home. Jubilant to see her father, Sukamani was eagerly waiting to see her two sons – now aged 18 and 16 years – who work for a private tourist bus operator and had gone out of town. Mr. Mahendiran said that so far 12 of the 38 persons they took to Bengaluru for treatment have recovered. Ten of them have been united with their families.
Sukamani had two sons, aged 11 and 13 years, when she had gone missing
in 2011.
