Manipur man reunites with family after 40 years, thanks to YouTube

Imphal, April 20

A 66-year-old man from Manipur, who went missing 40 years ago, finally returned home and reunited with his family.

Khomdram Gambhir Singh was identified after a YouTube video of him singing a Hindi song in Mumbai went viral.

People from Imphal's Khumbong village welcomed Gambhir at the airport with banners and placards thanking social media for his return.

They also thanked Firoze, the person who made the video clip.

Gambhir was received by Lok Sabha MP Dr Th Meinya and MLA Dr Sapam Ranjan Singh.

Back in 1978, Gambhir, 26, had left his home for reasons unknown and later went missing.

The family was unaware of Singh's whereabouts for 40 years until his nephew Romen Leichombam brought a video of a grey-haired and bearded man singing old songs to their notice.

The video was shot and uploaded on video-sharing website YouTube last October by a Mumbai-based photographer Firoze Shakir who saw Gambhir singing on Mumbai streets.

In the clip, the singer identified himself as Khomdan Singh of Manipur, which caught the nephew's attention. 

The video further caught the attention of Aheibam Dinamani, an assistant professor at NERIST university of Arunachal Pradesh, who contacted Romen and informed him about the man living on the Mumbai streets.

Unable to get Gambhir back on their own due to their financial conditions, family contacted the Mumbai Police and lodged a complaint with the Patsoi Police station.

Earlier, activist Angellica Aribam had sent out a request to the Mumbai Police to trace the missing man. ANI