Coimbatore Corporation’s night shelter helped two reunite with their families in Jharkhand

Two people from Jharkhand were reunited with their families after they were rescued by the Anti-Human Trafficking Unit (AHTU) and RS Puram B2 police.

Nirendar Bara, 29, was identified by AHTU at the town hall on August 31, 2024, while Raj Kumar Toppo, 34, was brought to the Corporation night shelter at RS Puram on October 4, 2024, after he was found hungry at Kumaraswamy lake in the city.

K. Gangadharan, caretaker of Malarumvizhigal, an NGO that runs the shelter, said both the youths had come to Coimbatore in search of work. With only a plus two education and coming from poor families, they struggled to find work and went hungry for almost a week before they were sent to an orphanage. They stayed there for more than a month before being reunited with family members.

“The initiative to facilitate their reunification involved Rengaswamy, a former Border Security Force (BSF) officer from the night shelter. Using his contacts, Rengaswami contacted LNK Sameer Toppo, a local representative from their hometown in Jharkhand, who coordinated with the local police to verify the identity and residence of the men. The Jharkhand Police arranged for the relative to travel to Coimbatore to escort him home and provided ₹1,200 towards travel expenses. We bought train tickets for the return trip. Upon returning home, the reunited men sent photographs to the bunkhouse depicting their reunion with their families.” said Mr. Gangadharan.