A stoop from a fractured hip and deep scars on his back became blessings in disguise for Rajkumar Bhoe.

These distinguishing features helped reunite him with his younger brother, Srujan Bhoe, after nearly 52 years.

According to records, Rajkumar — originally from Timjore village under Hemgir police station in Odisha's Sundargarh district — was allegedly sold off by his father, Kanthu Bhoe, in 1972, with the help of his stepmother.

Rajkumar was then just eight years old.

Decades passed in a blur.

Rajkumar landed up at a government home at Howrah's Andul a couple of years ago, during the Covid-19 pandemic.

He had been transferred from another shelter in Delhi where he had resided for over 30 years.

“During the pandemic, shelters had begun a process of relocating individuals to their home states to free up space for local residents. Since Rajkumar spoke both Bengali and Odia, he was sent to Bengal (at the Andul shelter) by the Delhi shelter. Once the pandemic curbs were lifted, we decided to try and locate his family. We reached out to Ham Radio for assistance,” a senior official at the Andul shelter said.

Reuniting Rajkumar with his family was easier said than done because he could only remember his father’s name and the name of his village. "Tracking his family was especially tough since there were no photos of him from his childhood,” said Ambarish Nag Biswas, the secretary of Ham Radio, West Bengal Radio Club.

Still, Ham Radio, with its multiple networks, managed to trace Rajkumar's village in Odisha, seeking the help of district magistrate Manoj Satyawan Mahajan to find his long-lost family.

Mahajan also convinced Rajkumar's brother, Srujan, to welcome him back.

When the Ham Radio team and district officials first approached him, Srujan was hesitant. After several rounds of talks, he agreed to meet Rajkumar but insisted on verifying his identity first.

He remembered that Rajkumar had a stoop and two deep scars even as a child, Biswas recounted.

Rajkumar explained that his father had once thrown him to the ground as a child, causing the hip injury. As for the scars, he said they were from the time his father tried to slash his neck, but the blade slashed his back instead.

“I knew he had some unique physical marks. If they matched, I’d have known for sure that this man was my brother,” Srujan said.

“During a video call, I saw his broken hip and scars. My father, in his later years, had wanted my brother to return. He regretted what he’d done, but he is no longer alive. I’m just glad I could bring my brother back,” Srujan, who recently met Rajkumar at the Andul shelter, said.

Rajkumar doesn't remember very well what happened to him after 1972. He told shelter authorities in fragmented accounts that he had been sold to a family in Uttar Pradesh, where he suffered abuse. Eventually, he escaped.

According to records from Delhi, Rajkumar was found wandering aimlessly after the assassination of then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi in 1984. He was taken into a shelter where he remained for decades.

“Police records indicate Rajkumar had been missing since 1972, but whether he was actually sold is uncertain,” said a senior official of Sundargarh district.

It is not clear how Rajkumar reached Delhi. “He couldn’t recall what happened after he fled or how he came to Delhi,” a home official stated.

Rajkumar is at the Andul home for now, but he is expected to meet his family within the next few weeks.

“There are a few formalities left and once they are done, Rajkumar will finally go home after 52 years,” an official from the state social welfare department said.