Police and local truckers rescued a missing youth from Jeypore in Koraput, reuniting him with his family in Ganjam after days of anxiety.
Pankaj Sabat, 24, son of Sampad Sabat from Kelanagar in Jeypore, disappeared on November 6 without informing his family. Relatives searched nearby areas but failed to trace him. They later filed a written complaint at Jeypore Town Police Station. Acting on the complaint, police circulated his photograph across stations and began investigations.
On November 14, members of the Odisha Truckers’ Association in Ganjam noticed a young man wandering near Puinatala village along National Highway-16. Association leaders Dharani Swain, Bishwabhushan Dalai, Prafulla Sahu, and Rajesh Palai approached him and identified him as Pankaj. He revealed that he lost his mother during childhood and worked in Jeypore for a monthly salary of ₹15,000. He admitted that family pressure regarding marriage had upset him, prompting him to leave home.
The truckers immediately informed Ganjam Police Station IIC Sumitra Patra and sheltered the youth at their office. They provided food and care while contacting his father through his mobile phone. Sampad Sabat, accompanied by relatives, rushed to Puinatala the next morning and reunited with his son.
The father expressed gratitude to the truckers’ association for safeguarding his son. Later, Dharani Swain formally handed over Pankaj to his family in the presence of IIC Sumitra Patra.
