A resident of Jaipur Gajanand Sharma, who went missing 36 years ago, has now been traced to a jail in Lahore and no one knows how he ended up in Pakistan. It happened in the year 1982 when the 32-year old laborer went missing from his home and there was no clue of his whereabouts.
Gajanand’s wife Makhni Devi who is now 62 years old had a troublesome life as she had to earn living to feed her children by working at a private hospital. Since she was illiterate and her sons were teenagers, the family couldn’t file an FIR at that time.
After all the attempts failed, the family had accepted the fact that Gajanand is not going to return home now. They were not even sure if he was alive and Makhni Devi has been living as a widow for more than 3 decades now.
Makhni Devi with the photo of her husband Gajanand Sharma
However, out of the blue, the family was informed that the 65-year-old Gajanand is alive and is lodged in a jail in Pakistan. This came to light when the Superintendent of Police (Rural) Jaipur received some documents for the verification of Gajanand’s citizenship.
Sharma’s younger son recognized him from his photograph. Meanwhile, Makhni Devi is happy with the news but also worried for her husband as he is in Pakistani Jail. The entire family is hoping to get Gajanand back to India but no one knows how. All they can do now is rely on the Ministry of External Affairs.
Gajanand’s family now includes his wife, two sons Rakesh and Mukesh, their wives and children. Although the family didn’t really believe what they saw on papers, Mukesh went to Samod Police Station and submitted the documents related to his missing father. That is when Sher Singh, SHO, Samod Police Station confirmed Gajanand’s identity.
It’s not just Gajanand Sharma who is trapped in a Pakistani jail. As per a report shared with the Government of India, Indian High Commission in Pakistan claimed that at least 457 Indian prisoners are currently lodged in several Pakistani jails.
