Lost in Bihar, found through ChatGPT: How a missing Ludhiana elderly man finally reached home

PTC News Desk: An elderly man from Punjab, who went missing during a pilgrimage to Amritsar, was reunited with his family after accidentally boarding a train to Bihar and reaching Gayaji. A local man helped trace his village using ChatGPT and internet searches.

Chaman Lal, from Fatehgarh Gujran village in Ludhiana, had travelled to Amritsar on September 11 under the Punjab government's Chief Minister Pilgrimage Scheme to visit the Golden Temple. His family said he has memory-related problems.

During the trip, Lal became separated from his group and reached the Amritsar railway station. He mistakenly boarded a Bihar-bound train and eventually arrived in Gayaji.

Stranger helps him for days

Near the Gayaji railway station, a local resident named Neeraj found Lal looking tired and hungry. Lal could not remember his full address but was able to tell him the name of his village.

Neeraj then spent around three days searching ChatGPT and the internet using different combinations of the village name. His searches eventually led him to Fatehgarh Gujran in Ludhiana district, near Machhiwara Sahib.

Instead of sending Lal back alone, Neeraj decided to accompany him to Punjab to make sure he reached his family safely.

After reaching Ludhiana, Neeraj travelled towards Machhiwara and showed Lal's photograph to local people while asking about his village.

A local resident, Master Krishan Lal, recognised him after having seen his photograph on social media during the search for the missing man.

Krishan Lal contacted Lal's family, and his grandson Sukhchain Singh reached Machhiwara and identified him.

After several days of uncertainty, Chaman Lal was finally reunited with his family, thanks to Neeraj and the local residents who helped trace him and bring him home safely.