On May 9, 2010, Prakash Mahto, an employee of the Kolkata Municipal Corporation, boarded a train from Koderma district, Jharkhand, to Kolkata for work. During the journey, he suffered sudden memory loss, became disoriented, and went missing. After unsuccessful searches, his family filed missing person reports, and years later, his employer and family presumed him deceased. Meanwhile, Prakash wandered to Raniganj in West Bengal, where hotel owner Sumit Sao gave him employment and shelter. Prakash lived and worked at the hotel for 15 years as 'Phalwan'. In early 2025, public discussions about the Maha Kumbh triggered Prakash's memory, leading him to remember his home district of Koderma. Hotel owner Sumit Sao contacted Koderma police, who located the 2010 missing person report. Prakash's wife Geeta, son Sujal, and daughter Rani traveled to West Bengal and reunited with him. A secondary report details the search for Mithilesh Devi, a woman from Bihar who went missing during a crowd surge at Maha Kumbh 2025 in Prayagraj.
Country: India
State/Province: Jharkhand, India
City/Region: Koderma
Incident Type: Missing Person / Presumed Homicide
Relationship Status: Married
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Incident Date: May 9, 2010
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How the relationship or connection began.
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2010-05-09
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English labels are shown first. Original-language titles are preserved for source verification.
Unknown
This case is not a domestic crime or interpersonal conflict, but a case of prolonged separation due to sudden amnesia and getting lost while traveling. The relationship survived 15 years of missing status where the family believed Prakash Mahto was deceased, culminating in an unexpected family reunion triggered by public news coverage of the Maha Kumbh.
This case does not appear to be primarily relationship-driven. Prakash Mahto went missing on May 9, 2010, while traveling from Koderma to Kolkata for his job at the Kolkata Municipal Corporation. He lost his memory and wandered to Raniganj, West Bengal, where hotel owner Sumit Sao employed and sheltered him for 15 years. In 2025, discussions about Maha Kumbh sparked Prakash's memory of Koderma, Jharkhand. Sumit Sao contacted Koderma police, who verified the 2010 missing person report and facilitated the reunion with his wife Geeta, son Sujal, and daughter Rani. The second part of the report details an ongoing missing person case regarding Mithilesh Devi, who disappeared during a crowd surge at Maha Kumbh 2025.
Initially, police and the Kolkata Municipal Corporation assumed Prakash Mahto was deceased after years of no contact, with plans underway to offer his son a job on compassionate grounds. In the second case, intense crowds and conflicting directions from passersby led to Mithilesh Devi becoming separated from her daughter, causing confusion during search efforts across police stations, hospitals, and the local morgue.
On May 9, 2010, Prakash Mahto boarded a train for work but lost his memory and route, ending up in Raniganj, West Bengal. Hotel owner Sumit Sao took him in as an employee, calling him 'Phalwan'. Fifteen years later, public discussions about Maha Kumbh reawakened Prakash's memory of Koderma. The hotel owner reached out to Koderma police, who matched old files and arranged for his family to travel to West Bengal to confirm his identity and reunite.
The primary risk factors in this report pertain to vulnerability associated with sudden cognitive impairment during long-distance transit and crowded public gatherings, as seen in the secondary missing person report from the 2025 Maha Kumbh.
Prolonged missing person cases involving amnesia can occasionally resolve through unexpected cognitive triggers such as major public events. Proper maintenance and archiving of historical missing person reports by local police forces were essential in verifying identity after 15 years.
The primary early signal was Prakash Mahto suddenly connecting the concept of Maha Kumbh to 'the way back home' and subsequently recalling 'Koderma district in Jharkhand' after 15 years of complete memory loss.
The critical clue was Prakash Mahto recalling 'Koderma district', which allowed hotel owner Sumit Sao to look up and contact Koderma Police via the internet to verify missing person records from 2010.
Historical police records from 2010 missing person filings, photographic identification held by the family, and direct physical recognition by his wife Geeta and children verified Prakash Mahto's identity.
Prakash Mahto's cousin Kartik Verma stated that the reunion was a miracle and that the family planned to take a holy dip in the Maha Kumbh together. Mithilesh Devi's daughter reported losing her mother in a blink of an eye near the Kriya Yoga gate in Jhunsi due to extreme crowds and broken barriers.
Follow-up verification by Koderma police reversed the long-standing assumption that Prakash Mahto was deceased, halting administrative procedures for compassionate appointment.
The exact medical cause of Prakash Mahto's sudden memory loss in 2010 remains unspecified. In the second reported case, the whereabouts of missing pilgrim Mithilesh Devi remain unresolved despite extensive searches across hospitals and morgues.