Woman in black: How elusive Sonam resurfaced in UP's Ghazipur after 16 days; exhausted & scared

VARANASI: It was around 1 am on Monday and the rush of customers at 'Kashi Chai Zaika' dhaba on Varanasi-Ghazipur highway was thinning. It was time for the owner -- Sahil Yadav -- to relax a bit when he was approached by an unusual guest with an unusual demand -- a visibly exhausted and scared young woman in black t-shirt asking for help to make a call."Initially, she requested a woman, sitting with her father and two children at a table, to make a call using their phone. When the customer refused, she approached the counter and requested me to make a phone call to her family," Sahil recalls.She was sitting in a chair outside the dhaba for quite some time. Sahil could make out that the woman was in distress and handed over his cell phone to her. She dialled a number. It was her brother on the other side.

The moment her brother picked the call, the woman broke down inconsolably, recalls Sahil."She told the person on the other side that she was at a Dhaba. She continued weeping even after the call was disconnected," Sahil recalled.Sensing that the woman was completely exhausted, Sahil offered her a charpoy to sit. Hearing the commotion, some women from Sahil's family came out of a room near the Dhaba and tried to make her comfortable, but in vain.

Attempts to ask her if she needed any other assistance proved futile as she kept completely mum."Moments later I got a call from the number that she had dialled earlier. The caller identified himself as her brother and requested me to inform the police. I disconnected the call and dialled police control - 112. Shortly thereafter police arrived at the scene," Sahil recalled. Meanwhile, the Indore police which was closely monitoring all her communications also alerted the Ghazipur police and a team rushed to the dhaba.By that time, Sahil had identified the woman. She was Sonam Raghuvansi, the woman who had gone missing from Meghalaya after her husband had been killed during their honeymoon trip on May 23.Police tried to question the girl but she did not speak after identifying herself as Sonam. Police also spoke to Sahil and women members of her family who had tried to make her comfortable when she was weeping. All that the police could gather from them was the girl appeared completely exhausted and apparently devoid of sleep for days at a stretch.Thereafter, police took her to a One Stop Center in Ghazipur - a government facility that provides support to women and children who have experienced abuse, exploitation, or other forms of violence. In charge of the One Stop Center Priyanka Prajapati confirmed that Sonam was brought to their facility by the police at around 5 am. She was completely exhausted and feeling sleepy.Priyanka recalled that Sonam was too exhausted and appeared drained out when she arrived and went off to sleep. She was offered breakfast by the staff which she refused and only opted for a cup of tea and biscuits before she went to sleep again. She confirmed that Sonam had no visible injury marks on her body when she reached the Centre. Superintendent of Police (SP) Ghazipur Dr Iraj Raja said Sonam was not in a position to get her statement recorded till early evening.Until the police team from Meghalaya reached Ghazipur, Sonam was allowed to stay alone and undisturbed at the centre building. The SP said that as the local police were not associated with the criminal investigation of the case.