Shillong, Aug 10: After two weeks of uncertainty, a family in Meghalaya finally got its answer on Monday when 24-year-old Kwis Sumer returned to the state and was reunited with his family after being traced to Karnataka.
Sumer, from Muktapur village in East Jaintia Hills district, had been reported missing since July 15 after travelling to Karnataka in search of employment.
His disappearance triggered a sustained search involving the Meghalaya and Karnataka Police, government agencies, community representatives and other stakeholders.
The matter reached the Meghalaya government on July 27 through a formal memorandum. Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma subsequently took up the case with the Karnataka government, setting in motion interstate coordination to trace Sumer.
A Meghalaya Police team led by IPS officer Lovish Garg travelled to Bengaluru along with representatives of Sumer’s clan and worked with senior Karnataka Police officers to reconstruct his last known movements.
The breakthrough came through an unexpected human connection.
Sumer managed to establish contact with his family through social media with the assistance of Kavi Kumar, who had provided him shelter and support during his stay in Karnataka.
That small act of kindness became the crucial link in the search.
Acting on the information, Meghalaya Police, in coordination with Karnataka Police, traced Sumer to Tiptur in Tumakuru district, where he was found safe and taken into the care of the authorities.
Arrangements were then made for his safe return to Meghalaya.
On Monday, Sumer was reunited with his family and clan members in Shillong. He will now return to his home in Muktapur.
For a family that had spent weeks wondering where he was, the search ended not with a police breakthrough alone, but with a chain of people refusing to let the trail go cold.
Sumer expressed his gratitude to the Chief Minister and everyone involved in bringing him home.
Sangma also thanked the Karnataka Police, particularly the Bengaluru Police, the Meghalaya Police team and the community stakeholders who assisted with the search.
The Meghalaya government also acknowledged the role of Dr D. Rockyer L. Nonglait, who facilitated the initial communication with the Chief Minister’s Office, and Kavi Kumar, whose decision to shelter Sumer and help him reconnect with his family proved crucial.
In a state where young people frequently travel far from home in search of work, Sumer’s return carries a simple but powerful message: sometimes, bringing someone home requires more than one police force or one government.
It requires coordination, persistence and one person willing to help a stranger.
