Nearly a decade after stepping out to purchase flowers for the sacred Rath Yatra, Bela Behera of Ganjam district, Odisha, vanished without a trace. A flower seller by profession, she lived with her youngest son Keshab in the Tokiya Senior Citizen Home, Jiaganj, Murshidabad, after raising three sons who are now businessmen.

Background and Initial Search

Bela’s disappearance became a lingering nightmare for her family and the local community. Despite repeated police inquiries and attempts by the senior citizen home to identify her, language barriers—she spoke only Odia—kept her identity hidden. In Odisha, her sons stopped attending the annual Rath Yatra in Puri, instead praying daily for her safe return.

Court Intervention and HAM Radio Involvement

A recent directive from the Berhampore Court ordered the authorities to accelerate efforts to reunite Bela with her kin. Superintendent Arpita Lahiri of the senior citizen home reached out to the West Bengal Radio Club. Leveraging the HAM (Amateur) radio network, volunteers triangulated her native village in Ganjam and contacted her relatives.

Emotional Video Call and Reunion

During a video call arranged by the volunteers, Keshab saw his mother for the first time in almost ten years. Overwhelmed, he thanked the volunteers as “messengers of Lord Jagannath,” believing divine intervention had guided them. Tragically, Bela’s own mother passed away ten days earlier, having spent her final moments praying for her missing daughter.

Future Plans and Societal Impact

Keshab is expected to travel to Murshidabad, complete formalities, and escort Bela back to Odisha. The family now intends to accompany her to Puri for this year’s Rath Yatra—an event they postponed for a decade. Beyond a personal story, Bela’s case highlights the potent role of community‑driven technology like HAM radio in bridging gaps left by bureaucracy, offering hope to countless unresolved missing‑person cases.