Six months after 68-year-old Langalolla Lingamma went missing, she has been reunited with her family in Old Palamuru by the Telangana police.

In July 2017, passers-by saw Lingamma wandering around the Gadwal-Raichur highway, shouting loudly, wearing torn clothes.

One of the bystanders contacted the Gadwal Superintendent of Police Vijaykumar, who immediately asked the local police to rush to the spot.

Dharur Sub-inspector Murali Goud, along with other policemen, reached the spot and took Lingamma away – they took her to the local hospital, and gave her food and clothes. The local hospital then referred her to the Erragadda Institute of Mental Health in Hyderabad.

“She was not in a position to tell us her name or where she was from,” says SI Murali.

The District Court also intervened and asked police officials to provide her with the required medical support and assistance.

Under the guardianship of the police, Lingamma received treatment at the Erragadda Institute of Mental Health and Osmania Hospital.

After almost five months of critical care and counselling, Lingamma finally started speaking to the attendants and doctors in hospital – recounting names of her family and incidents from her life.

In the meantime, the Dharur police traced Lingamma’s family. They said that her family lived in Mahabubnagar, near the district jail. She was apparently rather disturbed ever since her husband went missing a few years ago. Her family members suspected that she was having an episode and must have run out of the house looking for him.

In December, the Dharur Police received the communication from the hospital that she was now able enough to be discharged.

When the police produced her son’s – Narsimlu, Venkatramulu – before her, Lingamma dissolved into tears.

Finally, on Thursday, Lingamma was handed over to her family.

“We are so happy that she received treatment and is back home with her family,” says SI Murali. “If people act responsibly, we can help more such people.”