Dua, 8 years old

Dua was missing for more than a year.

One day, her mother took her and her siblings to a hospital for a doctor’s appointment. While her mother went in for her checkup, the children waited in the lobby. When she returned, Dua was gone.

Her family searched the hospital and surrounding streets. Security footage showed her walking downstairs, but beyond that, there was no trace. 

Over a year later, a post began circulating on social media showing a young girl living with another family. Someone recognized her and contacted Roshni Helpline. An investigation confirmed that the girl in the photo was indeed Dua.

The family she was living with claimed they had found her wandering alone on the streets and had taken her in as their own. They had never informed the authorities. Dua’s parents, overcome with relief to have her back, chose not to press charges and the case was closed.

Dua is quiet and reserved. She has shared very little about what happened during her disappearance, saying only that she went downstairs to get water and couldn’t find her way back.

No one knows exactly what happened during her year away, but Roshni theorizes that she could have been abducted and then sold. Luckily, Dua is now home and safe with her family.