Patna, July 8: A heart-wrenching tale of separation and reunion has unfolded in Gaya, which bears resemblance to that of Saroo, the protagonist in the 2017 Oscar-nominated film Lion, which was based on a true story.

Anil, a 25-year-old lad from the Maoist-hit Gaya's Guraru police station area, had gone missing from Gaya town around two decades ago. The five-year-old, who had gone shopping to Gaya with his parents Shakuntala Devi and Nanhaku Sao, got lost near Anugrah railway station.

The family, which resided in Dasrathbigha village, searched for Anil for three months after lodging a missing case with Guraru police station in Gaya district, around 38km south of Gaya town and 140km south of Patna.

A couple from neighbouring Aurangabad district, Bhuwaneshwar Paswan and Meena Devi, had found Anil crying for food at the railway platform. The couple had taken pity and taken him home before adopting him. They named him Suraj and raised him with their four other children as their own. With time, Suraj grew up and started helping Bhuwaneshwar and Meena in agriculture. He later bought a tractor to support the Paswans.

Around a month ago, Shakuntala befriended a woman while travelling on a crowded train. She narrated to her how she had lost Anil in 1997. To Shakuntala's surprise, the lady told her of a boy recovered under similar circumstances from Anugrah railway station around two decades ago. She provided Shakuntala the Paswans' address.

On July 5, Shakuntala reached Maripur village in Aurangabad district with her relative and claimed that Suraj was her son, mentioning he had a cut mark on his left finger and a mole on his belly. Both marks were verified. Meena realised that Shakuntala was indeed Suraj's mother.

Meena and Bhuwaneshwar agreed to let Suraj go with Shakuntala. The two families headed for Rafiganj police station where station house officer (SHO) Sanjay Kumar Sinha said Suraj, whose actual name was Anil, was handed over to his biological parents.

The SHO said the 25-year-old was separated from his family at five. "Before handing him over to his parents, I checked with the records of Guraru police station in Gaya district and found it to be true," SHO Sinha told The Telegraph over phone on Saturday.

The two families reached an agreement. "Tears rolled down Meena's cheeks when Suraj left for his native village," said the SHO.

Suraj grew emotional too and thanked Meena and Bhuwaneshwar for taking care of him like their own for 20 years. "I have never felt that I was not their child. I even married under their guidance a year-and-a-half ago. We don't have any issues yet," he said.

Shakuntala's happiness knew no bounds after reuniting with Anil. She said: "I had lost all hope. We have never celebrated any festival since he went missing. But this year we will have a grand celebration during Durga Puja."

She, however, said all this would not have been possible without the support of the lady she met on the train. Shakuntala had a note of advice for all mothers - not to be careless about their children while going to town for work. "Else, you will have to suffer like me," she said.