Sharif Ahmed had settled in West Bengal’s Midnapore with his second wife

Agra: A man who had been missing for 28 years and was presumed dead by his family returned to his hometown in Muzaffarnagar recently — not for reunion with family but for collecting documents for the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls underway in West Bengal.When Sharif Ahmed, 79, arrived at his native place Mohalla Balkaram in Khatauli town on Dec 29, relatives and locals were overwhelmed with emotion. Disbelief and celebration juxtaposed to create a heart-warming scene when the man who people here thought was no more appeared at the gate.Ahmad had gone missing in 1997 after he married for the second time following the death of his first wife that same year. He quietly moved to West Bengal’s Midnapore district and never bothered to stay in touch with his family and relatives. During his visit, he collected the death certificate of his father, which will help him in the SIR process.“My uncle needed some original documents as part of the ongoing SIR process in Bengal. With no other alternative, he had to return to his ancestral house on Dec 29,” his nephew Mohammad Akleem told TOI.“After searching for him for nearly 15-20 years, we finally accepted that he was no more. Recently, when we got a call saying chacha (uncle) returned, our joy knew no bound,” Akleem said, adding he went back to West Bengal after completing the necessary paperwork and meeting family members.Sharif himself said, “In 1997, there were no proper arrangements. I got married and settled with my wife in Midnapore. I completely disappeared as there was no way to stay in touch at that time. I came back only to collect some documents as the local BLO asked me for the domicile certificate.”