Tamil Nadu: Bihari woman and child reunited with family

Tiruchi: A mentally ill woman from Bihar who went missing along with her eight-month-old baby was rescued in Thanjavur and reunited with her family on Tuesday after nearly six months of treatment. It is reported that on October 29, 2024, the women’s helpline in Thanjavur received a call about a middle-aged woman from North India wandering with a baby at the Papanasam railway station. The information was also conveyed to District Collector B Priyanka Pankajam and soon the woman and her baby were rescued and admitted to the Mental Health Care Centre. The woman was then taken to Raja Mirasudar Government Hospital and was being treated by a team of doctors on the advice of District Mental Health Officer Dr Chitra Devi for the last eight months, while later an NGO took care of the baby and the woman.

After she recovered from the illness, the officials conducted an investigation in which they identified her as Munni Devi (30), wife of Prakash of Gondapur village in Nawada district of Bihar. Munni Devi told the officials that she was married four years ago and a baby girl was born. She had some complications during the delivery, which led to her becoming mentally ill. One day she left home by train for Papanasam with her baby Suhana (now one year old). The officials then started tracking down Munni Devi’s husband Prakash and after an intense search, Prakash was called to the Thanjavur Collectorate. On Tuesday, Collector Priyanka Pankajam handed over the woman and the child to Prakash in the presence of officials. After finding his wife and child, Prakash said, “Soon after Munni Devi went missing from home, we were searching for her everywhere, but to no avail. We had also complained to the local police, who registered a case and they were also looking for her. However, we are happy that she and the child were rescued in Tamil Nadu and were handed over to us safely.”