Purabi (Punam) with husband Jiban in Jalpaiguri. Picture by Biplab Basak

Siliguri, July 4: Six-year-old Punam Singh of New Delhi is now 22-year-old Purabi Ghosh of Domohoni.

The 16-year journey had started on the eve of Rakhipurnima in 1992, when a maid abducted Poonam from her Delhi residence and fled with her to the Sunderbans. Married “happily” for three years now to Jiban Ghosh, a grocery shop owner of Domohoni, 5km km from Jalpaiguri town, it is curiosity and unkind comments from friends and neighbours that have spurred Purabi in recent times to try to track down her family.

“They know how I lost my family. Yet they question my birth. Now I am determined to find them,” said Purabi. “It was in April or May 1992 and I had gone out with the maid, who was from Canning in South 24-Paraganas, to buy rakhi for my brothers. Instead of returning home, she took me to a station and boarded a train, telling me all the while that she was taking me to a new place.”

As far as Purabi could remember, she kept weeping at Canning station. “Soon people had assembled around us and the maid fled when they started asking questions.”

Purabi or Punam was one of the six daughters and two sons of Santosh Singh, a furniture shop owner, and his wife Kaushalya. The Singhs reside somewhere in the Dabri police station area in New Delhi. “I remember the name of the police station but not my house. It was somewhere near a Kali temple and there was a high school in the locality,” she said.

At Canning, she was rescued by Bhaben Sardar who took her to the Barasat branch of Bharat Sevashram Sangha. “I cannot recall whether police were informed or not at that time,” Purabi said.

About seven-eight years ago, Punam was sent to the Domohoni branch of the ashram where she did the in-house chores. “By the time, I had forgotten to write Hindi and could hardly speak the language. Instead, I became fluent in Bengali,” she said.

Arun Ghosh, a senior resident of the locality who frequented the ashram, convinced the authorities to get Purabi married. “He is well acquainted with my family and approached my elder brother with the marriage proposal. We tied the knot on July 30, 2005 and are a happy couple,” said Jiban, Purabi’s husband.

Today, Purbai came to Jalpaiguri and posted a letter addressed to the officer-in-charge of the Dabri police station.

“Late in the evening, we also rang up the police station in New Delhi (The Telegraph had provided them with the number). An officer told us to call tomorrow morning. They will need to check the old records first to see whether her father had lodged any missing diary in 1992,” Jiban said.