Deccan Herald
Pictures: Daijiworld News Network - Mangalore
Mangalore, Dec 12: The dream of earning more money and building a better future for the family by working in Gulf countries has become a nightmare to this family in Mangalore. In fact, Benny D’Souza (69), a resident of Jeppu Kudpadi in Mangalore lives in trauma, tension and fear every day after her son Ronald D’Souza (45) went missing ever since he left for Muscat nine years ago.
Ronald D’Souza had left for Muscat to work as a spray painter nine years ago along with one of his associate with a ‘big dream’ of earning good money for a better future for himself and his mother. His departure from India has scripted the long story of trauma for his family members back home. Months and years have passed. There was no communication from him ever since.
D’Souza who approached Deccan Herald on Monday said: “I don’t know through which agent Ronald got the visa to go to Muscat.”
Though Ronald used to call home once in a month in the initial days, everything stopped after a year. Since then, there is no communication from him.
After a month of his visit to Muscat, he had informed his mother that he has secured a good job and he is happy in Muscat. He did not write any letters to his family members as he did not know how to write, she said.
D’Souza said that he had provided an address before leaving for Muscat. “I even sent corn during Nativity of Mary to the address. But the letter returned,” says D’Souza with tears in her eyes.
She said: “I had asked our parish priest who had a friend in Muscat to trace my son. But all my efforts to trace him by asking people has gone in vain as nobody could trace him in Muscat nor in the address which he had given to me before leaving for Muscat.”
She said that soon after he left for Muscat he had urged her to open an account in Canara Bank and he had deposited Rs 5,000 in her name. There was no money transaction from Muscat since then.
The family and his mother continue to live in agony and suspense even to this day. It is said that there are a number of such missing cases in different places in different countries. However, only a few cases come to light.
Will their day of ‘Deliverance’ ever come? Will they come back to their homeland is a million dollar question.
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