“Jamal is our Bajrangi Bhaijaan …actually much more than that.” Sonu’s father falls short of words while trying to thank Jamal Ibn Musa, the Bangladeshi citizen who lost much in his efforts to reunite the boy with his parents.
“I never imagined a Bangladeshi man could do so much for a boy he did not even know. He lost his job and spent a month in jail so that my son could be with me once again,” Mehboob told The Hindu on Wednesday.
Mehboob and his wife Madhuri were unable to sleep on Tuesday night after Union External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj told him over the phone that they would be reunited with their lost son on Thursday morning.
“Every minute is a torture. Madhuri begins crying each time she speaks about meeting Sonu,” Mehboob said.
The couple spoke to Sonu over the phone last month after learning about his location from Jamal.
“He identified us over the phone. I just hope he will be able to recognise us when he sees us,” said Mehboob, a father of four.
The boy was allegedly kept hungry for several days and beaten up by his abductor. Sonu was never sent to school or given tuitions, and that has his parents worried.
Vital clues
Mehboob, however is proud that Sonu was able to remember much about his childhood even six years after the abduction. The boy provided Jamal with some vital clues about his parents and locality.
Sonu remembered that he lived close to a mosque near Dilshad Garden and that his father owned a small garage. He could also recount his parents’ names, although he had forgotten the names of two of his three siblings. Meanwhile, celebrations are planned in the Seemapuri once he returns. Local residents said they will join the celebrations.
