Bright Side Stories: How a Missing Girl Found 1,000 Km Away Came Home After 6 Months

A 4-year-old girl who went missing from Mumbai's CSMT station in May was found 6 months later in a Varanasi orphanage, where she had been renamed 'Kashi'. A reporter recognised her from police posters, leading to her return on Children's Day.

A heartwarming post on X about a child who was united with her parents recently has surfaced. On the night of 20 May 2025, a couple from Solapur sat inside Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus in Maharashtra's Mumbai. They had travelled to the city for the father's medical treatment and were tired after a long day. Their four-year-old daughter, Aarohi, slept on her mother’s lap in a faded pink frock. For one moment, the mother closed her eyes to take a quick nap. When she opened them, Aarohi was gone.

That moment turned into months of fear, waiting and heartbreak for the parents.

Months of searching with no rest

The parents spent six long months going from one police station to another across Mumbai and nearby towns. They carried the same worn-out photograph and showed it to strangers in busy markets, trains, slums and orphanages. They whispered her name into the night every day, hoping someone, somewhere, would hear it.

The father struggled to sleep. The mother struggled to eat. Their lives became a long trail of worry and pain.

But even as the months passed, the police did not stop. Officers stuck posters on platforms from Lokmanya Tilak Terminus to Bhusawal. They sent details to stations across states. They printed ads in newspapers and asked for help from the public and the press. Some officers kept Aarohi’s photo in their shirt pockets, as if she were family.

A little girl called 'Kashi' in Varanasi

In Varanasi, nearly 1,000 kilometres from Mumbai, a frightened girl was found near the railway tracks in June. She was crying, barefoot and confused. She did not know her real name.

She was taken to a local orphanage, where they gave her food, safety and a new name, Kashi. She learnt to smile again because children try to be brave. But sometimes, at night, she asked for 'Aai', the Marathi word for mother. The staff tried to comfort her, though they did not understand her language. No one knew she was Aarohi.

A reporter notices something important

On November 13, a local reporter in Varanasi saw one of the Mumbai Police posters. He remembered hearing about a child in a nearby orphanage who sometimes said Marathi words in her sleep. This was the first clue to trace the girl's roots.

He made a quick phone call to Mumbai Police.

By the next morning, a Mumbai Police inspector was in Varanasi, sitting with officers there to make sure nothing went wrong. They connected a video call. A little girl appeared on the screen, wearing a pink frock similar to what she wore the day she went missing.

In Mumbai, her mother looked at the screen and collapsed to the ground, unable to speak. Her father kept repeating, "That's my Aarohi… that’s my baby…" After six months of fear, hope had finally found a path.

A special homecoming on Children’s Day

On November 14, Children's Day, Aarohi was brought back to Mumbai by air. When the plane landed, officers from the Mumbai Crime Branch were waiting. They had brought balloons and a new blue frock for her. They stood together, ready to welcome her home.

But before they could say a word, Aarohi ran straight towards them. Her little feet moved fast, her arms stretched wide. She threw herself onto the nearest officer and laughed loudly,  a happy sound the police had not heard in months.

The officer, known for being tough and calm, felt tears in his eyes. He lifted her up gently. She hugged him tightly, as if she knew they had been looking for her all this time.

A reunion filled with tears and relief

Her parents were crying so much they could hardly walk. The officers carried Aarohi to them. The mother touched her face again and again, checking she was real. The father went down on his knees and placed his forehead on his daughter’s feet. Words of relief and prayer came out in soft sobs.

Aarohi looked at them with a bright smile, unaware of how many people had waited for this moment. Police officers nearby wiped their eyes quietly. For them, this was more than duty. This was life coming full circle.

A day of hope

Aarohi is home now. Her parents are sleeping again. Her laughter fills the house once more. The kidnapper is yet to be arrested, but that fight will continue tomorrow.

For today, this is enough: A child found. A family healed. And a police force reminded of why their duty matters.

Sometimes, a uniform does more than fight crime. Sometimes, it carries a child all the way back to her mother’s heart.