A man in Uttar Pradesh, who was kidnapped at the age of nine, has been reunited with his family after 31 years. Bhim Singh was reportedly kept chained to a tree on a farm and forced to work as a slave. The situation was discovered when a visitor to the farm took pity on him and helped rescue Singh, according to the Times of India.
Singh told the publication that he was beaten daily on the farm. One day, his captor, Sairam, beat him so severely that his jaw and right hand were broken. Singh was left untreated, still chained, and although he eventually healed, his right hand became useless, and his face was permanently deformed.
“I tried to escape, but there was no road beyond a point,” Singh told the Times of India. “It was only this Sikh man who came to purchase animals who spoke to me and asked me where I was from. When I told him, he took me to his truck and brought me back to Delhi,” he added, mentioning that his rescuer also helped him with a shave and a haircut.
Back home, Singh’s mother, Leelavati, was in tears when they were reunited at the police station. “He may have these problems from years of captivity and torture but recognized me instantly. As soon as he saw me, he said, ‘Meri ma aa gayi (my mother has come).’ It took a while to sink in, but it was my son who was standing in front of me,” she said.
Singh, on the other hand, said, “It didn’t even take me a second to recognize her. My mother’s face hasn’t changed, she only looks old now.”