23 May,2026 07:35 AM IST | Mumbai | Sarthak Mehta
Abhay Suresh Belkoni on Thursday morning at the Malad police station. PICS/BY SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT
An anti-begging and rehabilitation drive by the Malad police led to the reunion of a 25-year-old Nanded man suffering from mental health issues with his family on Thursday. The youth, Abhay Suresh Belkoni, had been missing for 47 days after he had left home to attend college in Jalgaon, but he lost his bag and belongings during the train journey and ended up on the streets of Mumbai.
An undated photo of the third-year BHMS student in happier times
According to the Malad police, Abhay was found begging on SV Road on Thursday morning and was brought to the station. He was unable to respond clearly to questions and seemed physically weak.
"However, after being given a bath and refreshments, he started trusting the police and shared his name and hometown," said Woman Police Sub-Inspector Manisha Kagalkar. "I checked the details with Tamsa police station, Nanded and found a missing persons report on his name. His father was called around 11 am, and the father got so emotional hearing the news," she added.
(From left) SPI Dushyant Chavan, WPSI Manisha Kagalkar, Abhay Belkoni, Suresh Belkoni, Gajanan Belkoni, PI Mahendra Gag, and HC Komalsingh Jadhav at the Malad police station on Thursday night. Pic/By Special Arrangement
Abhay's father, Suresh, told mid-day he couldn't describe the overpowering sense of joy he experienced on speaking to the police over the phone. "I consider these police officers God," stated the father. Suresh and his nephew Gajanan travelled to Mumbai and reached Malad police station around 11 pm.
As per a police officer, Abhay had stated that his bag had been stolen on the train. Abhay told the police that he resorted to begging to satisfy his hunger. Dushyant Chavan, Senior Police Inspector, Malad, said, "Abhay was brought in by our station staff around 8 am on Thursday, and we traced his family and reunited them by 11 pm."
Suresh attributed Abhay's tendency to wander to a mental health condition, stating he had a history of misplacing things and going off exploring without informing his family. However, whenever he ran away, he would occasionally call home, but this time he couldn't.
Suresh stated that Abhay, a third-year BHMS student, had left for his college in Jalgaon on April 4. However, he lost his bag, which had his phone and ID. The family got to know this on April 6, when Abhay called through a railway vendor's phone, but the call got disconnected before they could understand what was going on. The vendor later told the family that Abhay had left. The family waited for his return before lodging a missing person complaint on May 16.
Abhay has returned to his hometown, and he was admitted to a mental health facility on Friday. The father said I won't take any chances now. We will monitor his recovery at the facility, and then we will discharge him and bring him home. Suresh, a teacher and a farmer, said, "Abhay tends to go exploring. He often visits far-off temples. Our family will take extra care of him now. Hopefully, he will regain his strength soon."
May 16
Day family lodged missing person complaint
