Sr citizen missing from Malad returns home on Monday

MUMBAI: Almost 40 hours after he went missing, Malad senior citizen Vijay Dhokre returned home on Monday morning.

Worried about the deteriorating health of his visually impaired daughter Aditi, the 68-year-old had left home on Saturday around 4.30pm. However, when Dhokre realised he was “putting his family through a painful ordeal”, he decided to return home. For these two days, he had survived on a sandwich and water.

Dhokre’s son Yogesh, 31, was going through social media posts about his missing father at their Pleasant Park Aparment at Malad (West) around 7am, when the doorbell rang. To his surprise, it was his father at the door. “We are relieved he is back safely,” said Yogesh.

Dhokre’s family said he had stopped attending his meditation classes for the last 10 days and would refuse to step out of home, because he was worried about 40-year-old Aditi. Since Saturday evening, Dhokre had travelled aimlessly between Virar and Churchgate, and had slept at a railway station on Sunday night. “I was worried as I am unable to help my daughter. But this morning I realised I was adding to my family’s troubles,” said Dhokre.

His family has decided to consult a psychiatrist to help him fight depression, as this is the first time he has taken such a step. The senior citizen also suffers from prostate ailment. After his father went missing, Yogesh had circulated messages on social media and has lodged a missing person’s complaint at the Bangur Nagar police station.