Shimla Police Rescues Mentally Ill Elderly Man, Reunites Him with Family
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Shimla, March 2, 2025: In a heartwarming rescue operation, Shimla Police, with the intervention of Umang Foundation, saved a mentally ill 65-year-old man who had been missing for five months. His son, Wazir Singh (35), from Jondhan village in Panipat, Haryana, broke down in tears, saying, “You saved my father’s life like God. He would have died in Shimla’s harsh winter.”
Following a request by Umang Foundation President Prof. Ajay Srivastava, SHO Mamta Raghuvanshi of Chhota Shimla Police Station rescued Ranbir Singh, who had been living in a rain shelter at Talland Bus Stop in extreme cold. He was taken to IGMC Shimla for a medical check-up and provided safe shelter at the police station.
During the investigation, SHO Raghuvanshi contacted Haryana Police, traced his family in Jondhan Khurd village, Panipat, and called his son to Shimla. The emotional reunion between father and son at the police station on Saturday night moved everyone to tears. Raghuvanshi personally arranged for their safe journey home on Sunday morning.
Interestingly, Ranbir Singh was earlier rescued from Solan on December 24, 2024, by social worker Vijay Lamba, a member of Umang Foundation. However, Solan Police failed to take action under the Mental Healthcare Act, 2017, and did not attempt to locate his family. Instead, they handed him over to an NGO, from where he later disappeared.
Wazir Singh revealed that his illiterate father had been suffering from mental illness for decades, making it impossible for him to work. The family survived on his mother’s daily wages. He had gone missing before and was found only after two months in May last year.
Prof. Ajay Srivastava emphasized that SHO Mamta Raghuvanshi’s prompt action saved a life and urged the public to report destitute mentally ill individuals to the police for immediate rescue.
