Bhubaneswar: It is straight out of 'Bajarangi Bhaijaan', the Salman Khan starrer Bollywood blockbuster that wowed the audience and raked in the moolah not so long ago. The only difference; this story is from real life rather than reel.
Pradeep Bariha, a resident of Telijora village under Talasara police station in Sundergarh district, played Bajarangi Bhaijaan by uniting a missing boy with his family.
An Indian army jawan, Bariha found the minor boy named Golu crying near Katni railway station in Madhya Pradesh while returning home by train nearly eight years ago. He tried to find out Golu's identity from nearby areas, but to no avail.
He then took the eight-year old boy to his home at Telijora and did eveyrhting possible to trace his family.
On the other hand, Golu's mother had lodged a missing person complaint at Gora police station in Madhya Pradesh after her son went missing. On his part, Pradeep apprised Talsara police of the matter after rescuing the minor boy.
Later, the MP police received the information from Army sources. Two officials of Gora police station, along with the brother of Golu, met Talsara police which helped in identifying the boy.
“The search operation was on to trace the boy. We received the information from the Jabalpur army control room where Pradeep is working. Later, we came to this village and identified him," said Bhattulal Dhurye, Gora police official.
While he is happy to have played his role in the reunion, Pradeep is also sad at the prospect of parting with the boy with whom he had become very close in these eight years. "I feel sad that I am leaving my boy after eight years. But I am happy that I reunited him with his family," Pradeep Bariha said.
Pradeep's mother Basanti also expressed similar feelings. "I brought him up like my own son. But after eight long years, he is going away from me," a tearful Basanti said.
Golu ultimately reunited with his family, but it was very hard on his part to forget the eight years of affection he got from the Bariha family.
"I can never forget my uncle, brother and mother (Bariha family). I would definitely keep coming to this village," Golu said while leaving Telijora village.