Meghalaya man missing in Karnataka traced, reunited with family

A man from Meghalaya’s West Jaintia Hills district who went missing in Karnataka while looking for employment was safely traced and reunited with his family on Monday, August 10, following a coordinated search by the police forces of the two states, officials said.

Kwis Sumer of Muktapur village had been missing since July 15 after travelling to Karnataka in search of work.

The matter was brought to the attention of the Meghalaya government through a memorandum submitted on July 27. Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma subsequently took up the issue with the Karnataka government and facilitated coordination between the two states.

A Meghalaya Police team led by IPS officer Lovish Garg travelled to Bengaluru along with representatives of Sumer’s clan and coordinated with senior Karnataka Police officials in the search operation.

The team reconstructed Sumer’s last known movements and used technical and other investigative inputs to narrow down his possible location.

A breakthrough came when Sumer attempted to contact his family through social media with the assistance of Kavi Kumar, who had provided him shelter and support during his stay in Karnataka.

Acting on the information, Meghalaya Police, in coordination with Karnataka Police, traced Sumer to Tiptur in Tumakuru district, where he was found safe.

He was subsequently taken into the care of the authorities and arrangements were made for his return to Meghalaya. He was reunited with his family and clan members in Shillong on Monday.

“With the help of the Karnataka Police, especially the Bangalore Police, and the hard work of the Meghalaya Police and other stakeholders, we were able to find him. He is back safely to our state,” Sangma said.

The Chief Minister also thanked the police personnel and others involved in the search operation.

“I take this opportunity to once again thank all those who have played a role, most importantly the police in Bangalore and the Meghalaya Police who ensured that he was found and brought back safely to our state,” he said.

Sumer expressed gratitude to the Chief Minister and everyone involved in ensuring his safe return, while his clan members also thanked the authorities.

Officials said Sumer will subsequently be taken to his home in Muktapur village.