Puri: A 28-year-old youth from Kolkata, who reached Puri on foot from Kolkata to relish the taste of Bhang, was handed over to his family members by the Town Police.
According to reports, the youth, Numan Khan was stressed for being jobless after completing Nautical Science and Marine Engineering. Seeing his son’s condition, his father admitted him to a mental hospital in Bihar.
Numan Khan was discharged from the hospital after a year and returned to Kolkata. He came in contact with a sadhu who offered him ‘ganja’ and ‘bhang sarbat’ saying it is the ‘prasad’ of Lord Shiva.
The sadhu told him that pure ‘bhang’ is available in Puri. So, unknown to his family, Numan decided to leave for Puri on foot during the lockdown and arrived in the temple town.
He consumed ‘bhang’ regularly for some days and having exhausted all the money he had, he started begging.
However, some media persons discovered his background and informed the Puri SP Akhileswar Singh. Following the directive of the SP, the police brought Numan from the Market Square near Bada Danda (Grand Road) to the Town Police station on September 12.
After getting the details, the police traced his family after uploading his photo on Instagram. The family members arrived in Puri the next day and took Numan back with them.