West Bengal woman reunites with family after 35 years

Visakhapatnam: Geeta Biswas, a 75-year-old woman, reunited with her son and daughter-in-law in a village in Cooch Behar district in West Bengal after 35 years. Association for Urban and Tribal Development (an organisation working for the homeless people) secretary Pragada Vasu said that Geeta has two sons and daughters. “Her mental health deteriorated after her younger son died at the age of 11. Around the age of 40, Geeta left home and went missing. Over the years, her children grew up without their mother’s love, and the family was torn apart,” said Vasu.In Dec 2025, staff of AUTD rescued Geeta near the Visakhapatnam railway station and admitted her to the women’s shelter home in the TSR complex in Visakhapatnam. She underwent treatment for several months through the Shraddha Rehabilitation Foundation and gradually recovered. She was later taken from Visakhapatnam to her native village in West Bengal, where her son and daughter-in-law warmly received her at Howrah railway station.“When Geeta asked about her husband, who had passed away two years ago, the family broke down in tears. Her relatives thanked AUTD and the Shraddha Rehabilitation Foundation for reuniting them with a mother they had long believed to be dead,” added Vasu.Over the past few years, AUTD and Shraddha have rescued, treated, and reunited more than 100 mentally ill and destitute persons with their families. Many of them were found wandering near bus stands and railway stations in Visakhapatnam and were later admitted to government hospitals for mental healthcare. The rescued individuals belonged to 15 states across the country, with some being reunited with their families after 20 to 30 years.