“A mother is closest to everyone’s heart, and children are dearest to her. Seeing Godavari wander Mumbai alone for 12 years without her children deeply affected us,” said Police Sub-Inspector Wahida Jamadar of JJ Marg police, describing the emotional case that led to the reunion of an elderly woman with her sons after more than a decade.

Godavari Raut had spent more than a decade wandering Mumbai’s streets, alone and homeless, after getting separated from her family during a visit to the city. For her sons in Parbhani (located 200 km from Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar), hope faded with time. For the police officers who found her, the sight of a mother surviving without her children was impossible to ignore.