A 10-second Instagram reel has helped bring a nine-year-old missing-person case to an emotional close, reuniting a specially abled man from Jharkhand with his family.
The man, known as Rasheed during his years in Kerala, was identified as Yasin Sheikh, a resident of Narayanpur in Sahibganj district of Jharkhand. Now 35, Yasin went missing from his village in 2017 when he was 26.
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On Thursday, Yasin began a nearly 2,500-kilometre journey back home after his identity was confirmed by authorities and his family.
Yasin had left his house in Narayanpur in 2017 to play with friends. When he failed to return, his family filed a missing-person complaint and began searching for him.
Around the same time, residents of Cheruvadi village in Kozhikode district, Kerala, noticed a young man wandering in the area. They alerted the police, who produced him before the district child welfare committee. Since he appeared to be younger than 18, he was placed in a welfare and care facility.
The young man remained there for several years. In 2023, as he was no longer eligible to stay at a facility meant for children, authorities shifted him to Karunyatheeram, a campus for specially abled people run by the NGO Health Care Foundation in Kattippara, Kozhikode.
At Karunyatheeram, staff members struggled to establish his identity. His speech was often unclear, and he could not properly communicate his name. With no official documents identifying him, the staff gave him the name Rasheed.
Over the years, however, Rasheed became a familiar face at the facility. He enjoyed participating in celebrations and was particularly comfortable in front of cameras. He even appeared in a short film titled One Smile, which won second prize at the state level in a Social Welfare Department competition.
Despite settling into his life in Kerala, Rasheed frequently spoke about his mother and village and expressed a desire to return home. But he could not provide enough information to help authorities trace his family.
The breakthrough came during Independence Day celebrations. Social media influencer Pevundara Yasir visited Karunyatheeram and recorded a short video featuring Rasheed and his friends walking with the national flag. The video was posted on Instagram under the handle “belikeyassir” and eventually crossed one million views.
Among those who watched the reel was Yasin’s cousin. Recognising the man’s distinctive smile, the cousin commented that he might be Yasin and contacted the facility.
The family subsequently shared Yasin’s Aadhaar card and other identifying details. Authorities in Kerala cross-checked the information and confirmed that Rasheed was indeed Yasin Sheikh of Jharkhand.
Yasin was then able to speak with his father, Sohrab Sheikh, and his siblings over a video call. His younger brother, Ajul Sheikh, travelled to Kerala to bring him home.
The reunion, however, came with heartbreaking news. Yasin had often spoken fondly about his mother during his years in Kerala. But she died in 2023, reportedly waiting for her missing son to return.
After nearly a decade apart, Yasin is finally heading home — a reunion made possible by a chance social media video that reached the right person at the right time.
