Kidnapped Girl Reunited With Family After 9 Years, Found With The Help Of Old 'Missing Poster'

A teenage girl who went missing almost nine years ago from the Gilbert area of Andheri in Mumbai, Maharashtra, was reunited with her family on Friday (August 5) in Mumbai.

Pooja, then seven years old, went to school with her older brother on the morning of January 22, 2013, in the Andheri neighbourhood of Mumbai. There, Henry Joseph D'Souza allegedly offered to treat her with ice cream and kidnapped her. D'Souza, now under arrest, has told police that he abducted Pooja as he and his wife did not have any children then.

Kidnapped At 7

Soon after, the accused changed the girl's name to Annie D'Souza and sent her to a hostel in Karanataka to ensure that she was not recognised by anyone. Later, when the couple had their own child, they brought the girl back, did not treat her well, and allegedly made her do all household chores, reported NDTV.

Pooja, now 16, did not recall much about her family members, who stayed barely a few hundred metres away from her house. However, one day, when D'Souza was drunk and not in a sense, he revealed to her that she was not his daughter, following which she began looking for hints in the past.

"Pooja Missing"

Pooja and her friend continued searching "Pooja missing" on the internet and finally found a missing poster from 2013. It carried five contact numbers, but four of them were no longer in service. As luck would have it, the one that still worked belonged to Rafique, a neighbour of the girl's family, reported The Print.

Pooja then called him up and told him about herself. Rafique spoke to her over a video call to his utter surprise and identified her. Later, he also arranged a call between Pooja and her mother, who recognised her instantly.

Girl Reunited With Family After 9 Years

The local police were informed about the matter and were present when the teenage girl reunited with her family amid tears of joy and longed for embraces.

Pooja had lost her father during all these years. Her mother and brother, with whom she had gone to school on that fateful day, were short of words to express their joy.

Milind Kurder, a senior police officer, said that D'Souza had been arrested under charges of kidnapping and unlawful labour. Soni, his wife, has also been named an accused in the case.

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