26 years after family vanished, van with 4 skeletons found in Punjab canal

Nearly 26 years after an entire family disappeared while returning from a wedding in Punjab, an old Maruti Omni van containing skeletal remains of four people was recovered from the Bhakra canal near Kiratpur Sahib in Rupnagar district, bringing closure to a mystery that had haunted the family for decades.

The victims were identified as Munilal, Tej Ram, Surjit Singh and eight-year-old Kalu, all residents of Kotla village near Kiratpur Sahib. According to relatives, the four went missing on October 20, 2000, while returning from a wedding function in the Maruti Omni van.

At the time, family members and villagers launched an extensive search operation. Divers were called in from other states and lakhs of rupees were spent searching the Bhakra canal and surrounding areas, but neither the van nor the missing family members could be traced.

The case gradually faded with time until recently, when local diver Kamalpreet Saini descended deep into the 32-foot-deep canal while searching underwater and spotted what appeared to be an old vehicle submerged in the water. Inside the van, skeletal remains were found along with a shirt resembling a school uniform, which eventually helped relatives identify the victims.

Family members later performed the last rites and immersed the ashes according to religious customs. Police have said the matter is being examined.

Sita Devi, wife of deceased Munilal, said the family searched endlessly after the four never returned home from the wedding function. She said they eventually stopped looking after exhausting their savings and thanked diver Kamalpreet Saini for helping trace the remains of their relatives after so many years.

Gurvinder, son of Munilal, said his father had gone to drop two people at the wedding along with his younger brother, but when they failed to return, the family searched extensively without success. He said they never found peace over the disappearance until the submerged van was finally recovered.

Sandeep Singh, a relative of the victims, said the family struggled for years because there was neither proof of death nor financial stability. He said the absence of official confirmation prevented them from receiving any government assistance and expressed hope that help may now be extended to the family.

Ram Kumar, brother of one of the victims, recalled that the family had spent nearly Rs 1.5 lakh on divers during the initial search operation. He said they had assumed the strong water current may have swept the vehicle far ahead in the canal, but the van was eventually found near the same spot where it had reportedly plunged into the water.

He added that the uncertainty surrounding the disappearance deeply affected the family, including their father, who spent years worrying about what had happened to the missing relatives.

The recovery of the remains and the performance of the final rites, he said, had finally brought some peace to the family.

- Ends

(With inputs from Vijay Kapoor.)