Five years after she was found in Himachal, Tamil Nadu woman’s family traced to Panaiyur

CHENNAI: Nearly five years after Saira Bano was found alone at a bus stand in Himachal Pradesh, her family has finally been traced to Tamil Nadu.

But returning her to the State is still unclear, not just due to the administrative coordination between officials in the two states but with Saira’s only known relative now living in Kuwait.

Bano, around 50, was found at the Mandi bus stand in August 2021 and has since been under care at a One Stop Centre.

Her family could not be traced for years as she was unable to provide enough information about herself and had difficulty communicating in Hindi. Also, Saira’s struggle with mental health issues made the situation worse.

“She was unable to provide enough information about herself,” said Sub-Divisional Magistrate N Samritika, who met Saira during a visit to the centre in August 2026. “I happened to know that she was very aggressive initially, she used to beat others. Subsequent treatment and trust building have calmed her nerves down. Yet, she was unable to communicate.”

The search acquired a new lead only in 2026. During an interaction, Saira repeatedly uttered a word that sounded like “Panniyur”. “We did not know if Panniyur was a person’s name, village or town,” the SDM said.

Saira subsequently provided more information, including names of family members, and indicated that Panniyur was near the coast.

Turns out, it was ‘Panaiyur’ along the ECR. The case was eventually connected to an NGO, The Banyan in Chennai. The organisation followed the leads in Tamil Nadu and traced Farook Muhammad Ansari, her nephew.

Farook, who lives and works in Kuwait, spoke to Saira over a video call, which also helped her caregivers in Himachal to understand more about her life before she reached Himachal Pradesh.

Farook explained that Saira had a mental illness. After her parents death and with no immediate family members, he sent her to a centre in Bengaluru for care with the help of members of religious communities.

Saira subsequently left/escaped the centre, but how she travelled from Bengaluru to Himachal Pradesh remains a mystery.

“Farook is now the only known relative available to Saira but he told me that he would not be able to personally care for his aunt,” stated Samritika, SDM. “At the same time, the video call showed the importance of reconnecting her with people who could speak her language. She was so happy to see her own people.”

The Mandi administration has now forwarded the case to the district administration and the Women and Child Development authorities.

Tamil Nadu police have also been alerted, and officials are working on arrangements to bring Bano back to the state. The process will also require documentation, as Saira does not have an Aadhaar card.

“Once procedures are done, she will soon be transferred to her home state soon,” the SDM said.