Army man presumed dead returns home after 7 years

Jaipur: In a scene straight out of a Bollywood tear-jerker, an army man, who was presumed to have died in an accident nearly seven years ago, returned home to the astonishment of his family in Alwar's Behror town in Rajasthan.

Dharmveer Yadav, who was an Indian army soldier, had gone missing following a car accident in Dehradun on November 27 in 2009 and even his family pension was started in 2012 after the force presumed him to be dead.

It was a road accident that had separated Mr Yadav from his family and it was a similar mishap which brought them together.

Five or six days back, a motorcycle hit Dharmveer Yadav when he was wandering on the streets of Haridwar. He received a mild injury to the head which brought his memory back.

After regaining his memory, he reached Behror in a bus from Delhi on Monday night using the Rs. 500 the motorcyclist had given him after the accident.

His father Kailash Yadav initially did not answer his call to open the door thinking he was either dreaming or there was some drunken man at the door.

"After second or third knock, I realised that I was not dreaming and rushed to the door. I went numb after seeing my son who for us was dead. I could not even utter a word. My elder son and his wife also came and brought Dharmveer and me into the room. No one could believe that he had returned," Kailash, also an ex-serviceman, said.

Alwar district Soldier Welfare Officer RP Yadav said he has informed Dharmveer Yadav's unit about his return.

"I have communicated to the CO of his unit, who advised to get his medical check up done. Dharmveer will be handed over to his unit," the officer said.

Dharmveer Yadav's wife and two daughters were very happy to see him back.

His father said Mr Yadav told them that he was rescued by locals after the first accident. Beyond that, he remembers nothing.

"It is a filmy story which I and my family have lived," the elated father said.