Meerut: A head constable in Uttar Pradesh has reunited a 77-year-old woman with her missing son through Instagram, marking his fifth successful case of using social media to reconnect families.
Head constable Ashwani Malik, posted in Amroha, shared a video on Instagram of a disoriented man he and his colleagues found sitting alone by the roadside on August 23. The man, later identified as Mohd Salim from Deoria, had been missing for more than ten years. Malik’s post, seen by Salim’s nephew in Mumbai, led to the family recognising him. A video call confirmed the identity, bringing relief to Salim’s mother, Rasuma Bano, who had long believed she would never see her son again.
Malik and his team had taken Salim to their quarters in Moradabad, offering him food, clean clothes, and care until he began speaking again. On September 4, the police formally handed him over to his family after verifying his identity.
Salim had disappeared after his wife’s death twelve years ago, withdrawing from family life and leaving his mother to live with uncertainty. His return provided closure and renewed hope for the family.
Malik, who joined the police force in 2012, has used his 4.5 million Instagram followers to highlight missing persons, daily policing, and human stories. He began sharing videos during the pandemic, gradually shifting his focus to public service content. “I don’t understand the algorithm,” Malik said. “When a family finds their loved one, that is enough.”
