Google search helps trace family of missing Maharashtra woman

A mentally ill woman missing from Maharashtra's Sindhudurg district for two months was reunited with her family after a social organisation used Google Search and local village records to trace her relatives. Police had earlier admitted her to a shelter home

Thane: A mentally-ill woman who went missing from Maharashtra’s Sindhudurg district two months ago has been successfully reunited with her family with the help of Google Search and efforts by a social organisation in Maharashtra, its representatives said on Friday.

Pooja Bhagwan Gawas, a resident of Vajare village in Sindhudurg district, went missing from her home in May and was found wandering on the streets of Sawantwadi town, an official said.

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The police admitted her to Sanvita Ashram, run by Jeevan Anand Sanstha. Based on limited information, Kisan Choure, a trustee of Jeevan Anand Sanstha, initiated a search for the woman’s family using Google search and, with the help of village authorities, traced them to Vajare. The woman’s relatives identified her photograph, and she was reunited with them on Thursday, the official said.

Choure said that such operations require immense patience, and digital tools like Google have become crucial in tracing families.