Flashback - Amazing story of India : Missing Indian girl came home from jungles after 38 years!!

Photo of Shri RT Zachono, Chief Executive Member (CEM) of Mara Autonomous District Council (MADC), Siaha presenting a gift to Miss NG Chhaidy, during her welcome ceremony held at Theiva Village, Siaha district, Mizoram, India on 12th July 2012

An Indian girl who was declared lost and missing at the age of four when she went untraceable in 1974 reappeared from a jungle without proper clothing recently after spending nearly 40 years in Indo-Myanmar forest, to the surprise and joy of her family, relatives and the people in Mizoram, Northeast India. Could this be true? Read on.

Ng Chhaidy was a 4-year-old girl when she was reportedly got lost with her friend V. Rakhu, both belong to Theiva, a census village along India's National Highway-54 (NH-54) in Saiha district, between Saiha and Tuipang town, in the southern-most part of Mizoram.

The two kids were reportedly lost from a farm nearby on May 19, 1974 as they did not come back with their grandmother who accompanied them to the farm. The grandmother reportedly told the villagers that she thought the kids must have gone home with other farmers while she was working away from the hut in the farm. Since the farm is along the main passage of other farms and often frequented by other passersby, it was normal for the grandmother to assume that way. But when she reached home, the kids were not to be found anywhere.

The search begun that evening and rumour also started blowing in the air. Most people believed that the kids were taken by devil who dwells in the jungles. The people from the village and its surrounding villages searched them everywhere; and luckily the boy was found by people belonging to other village after 5 days. They saw the boy drinking water in a small stream, far away from any village. Since the news of the two kids missing was the talk of the town, as soon as they saw a boy in the middle of the thick forest, they immediately recognised it must be one of the lost kids. The people who found the boy were also surprised when they saw the boy, he was healthy and did not look like someone who did not eat food for five days. When they asked him, the boy reportedly told them that they captors gave them good food and they ate lots of banana and other fruits. They were never hungry. The boy allegedly told the villagers that his friend (the girl) was carried away down the stream by someone. Down the stream means thick forest and there's no way any sane men would have carried the girl. The search continued for several days without any lead.

Finally, they stopped searching. They often heard a loud cry or scream at night. But when the villagers go to the suspected spots, she was not to be found. The suspicion of the handiwork of devil grew much more from this point.The thick forest in the district extended all the way to Myanmar where people of the same ethnic Mara tribe inhabit the land. The forest is thought to be haunted back in 1980s.

In August 2008, a lady was spot in a forest by people of Aru, an Indo-Myanmar village in Matupi township in Southern part of Chin State, Myanmar. She was very dirty and was completely naked. When they spot such strange human being, they tried to speak to her but when she replied them, they could not understand her language at all. And finally, they felt that they should catch hold of her. Though she resisted initially, they overpowered her and they clothed her and brought home. One church elder belong to Mara Evangelical Church (MEC) adopted her as one of his daughters and she was given a new name and she was taught sign language and others slowly. The church elder did not know the background of this lady.

In June 2012, the wife of the Church elder and the host of this lady from this Indo-Myanmar border village came to visit Saiha, the district headquarters of Saiha district, she happened to stay with the father of the missing girl, who also happened to visit the town. As the conversation between the two went on, the lady told the father of the girl that the girl who is staying with them looks very familiar with him, except that she is a girl but the facial structure and everything is very similar. Then, the father of the girl realized it could be his daughter who went missing in 1974. The girl's father and few of his friends went to Burma to find out if the girl in question is his daughter. It took them nearly a week to reach the village where no vehicles ply. They had to walk and walk only by bare foot.

After verifying the birth marks and moles in her body, the father was convinced that she is indeed his child. They returned with the lady. Villages along the way welcomed them and offered them their good wishes. Finally, on 13th July 2012, they reached Theiva, their native village. At Theiva, the bigwigs from the Mara Autonomous District Council (MADC), Saiha and many people from the surrounding villages gave them a grand welcome home ceremony complete with banners and welcoming assembly.

Miss Chhaidy can speak something but no one can understand her language. She was taught some sign language but it is still difficult to communicate with ther.

The big question however is, how did she survive for the past 38 years in the jungles, simply invisible to any people? Was she really taken by devils or unknown creatures?

Some have suggested that DNA test must be conducted to proof her true identity.

When she came home, the whole village and the district rejoice but the mystery of her survival in the jungles continue to lingers on the minds of the people in the state and beyond.