Bihar boy missing since 2005 train ride found after 21 years via Facebook video
A man who went missing as a 15-year-old in 2005 has been reunited with his family in Bihar after 21 years. His brother identified him through a Facebook video posted by a police officer at a state-run shelter where the man had been living.
Why it matters
The story highlights the power of social media in reuniting long-lost family members and the challenges faced by vulnerable individuals in the state-run shelter system.
When Ram Shanker Kushwaha boarded a train from his village in Bihar at the age of 15, he had no idea that the journey would keep him away from his family for the next 21 years. He had no spare clothes and no identity proof. For years, his parents waited for him to return. On September 7, 2026, 36-year-old Shanker finally came home to Maheshpura village in Madhubani district. His family traced him after he appeared in a Facebook video posted by Gwalior Deputy Superintendent of Police Santosh Patel. The video was recorded at Ashram Swarg Sadan, a state-run shelter where Shanker had been living for eight years. The reunion came after more than two decades of uncertainty and a social media post that happened to catch the attention of Shanker's brother.A boy who loved trainsShanker's fascination with trains had started long before he disappeared.
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