Spy thought dead for 25+ years, returns home alive.

Biggins

Strange but good news story.


Short version:

Surjeet Singh, an Indian spy, was released last week after more than 30 years in a Pakistani prison.

When Surjeet Singh left home to go to Pakistan on a cold winter's day in December 1981, he told his wife he would return very soon. It was 30 years and six months before they saw each other again and his jet black beard had turned white.

While he was incarcerated for spying in Lahore's Kot Lakhpat jail, his family had given him up for dead. He was utterly isolated; he didn't receive a single visitor or even a letter. Some of his time in prison was spent awaiting his end on death row.

And then, suddenly in 2004, 25 years after he went missing, a letter arrived at the family home. Mr Singh had addressed it to his younger son, Kulwinder Singh Brar.
And that is when the family knew that the man they had given up for dead was alive.

The full version is here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-india-18687924

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25+ years not knowing what has happened to your husband and father of your kids. Many families around the world lose members and never find out what has happened to them - at least for once, such an event has a happy ending, even if it did take all those years to happen.

Immaculate Pasta

Good story. It's a 7/10 for me :cool:.

christmas2012

must have been a shock to them when he returned back

My name is URL

His family look absolutely overcome with joy

mikemac1

He's due a lot in back wages :cool:

Has to be paid, he was still on the job for those 25 years

ejmaztec

mikemac1 wrote: »

He's due a lot in back wages :cool:

Has to be paid, he was still on the job for those 25 years

He'll be the same as an Ulster Bank customer.

CavanCrew

Why is this not in the Dailymail, :rolleyes:

Shryke

I imagine he's pretty much a stranger to them. Awkward, but better than prison. I wonder how long before he tried his wife.

ejmaztec

CavanCrew wrote: »

Why is this not in the Dailymail, :rolleyes:

They'll find a slot for it tomorrow, today's edition is taken up by celebrity cellulite and bitching about immigrants.

Biggins

mikemac1 wrote: »

He's due a lot in back wages :cool:

Has to be paid, he was still on the job for those 25 years

So far the Indian Government is refusing to officially state he was a spy.
So getting back any such pay might be hard to say the least.

What did they give him - and only after much publicity worldwide about his release?

The state administration has promised to build a concrete road to his farm, install a tubewell on his land and provide him with an electricity connection.

Punjab's Irrigation Minister Janmeja Singh Sekhon visited him on Monday and gave him 100,000 rupees (£2,910).

pickarooney

Punjab's Irrigation Minister Janmeja Singh Sekhon visited him on Monday and gave him 100,000 rupees (£2,910).

Nasty Jan, she could have let you go on first.

shopaholic01

It must be impossible to resume your life after 30 years in isolation - you have to accept that members of your family have died, try to get to know new ones and rebuild a relationship with those you already know. He's also lost 30 years of history and is trying to walk back into a different world.

ColeTrain

Not a patch on the bold Hiroo Onoda.

DrumSteve

TL;DR.

Biggins

DrumSteve wrote: »

TL;DR.

Translated: Couldn't be arsed reading something if its not in tabloid form!

ejmaztec

It could result in an Indian version of Homeland. Indian intelligence will be following him around to make sure he hasn't been brainwashed into planting a bomb.

prinz

It's been a regular enough occurence between India and Pakistan over the years people being held by each other for years and decades and then released one day. There was a Bollywood film based on a similar case a few years back, IIRC it was centred on an Indian Air Force pilot imprisoned for a few decades too.

i wonder did the wife find someone else in the meantime

or is he suddenly really rich now and out for revenge

Dangerous Man

It's just been revoked.

Stiffler2

Yep - Good story OP


But if these were westernised families the wife would have been re-married after 3 yrs and had a new set of kids

Biggins

Stiffler2 wrote: »

Yep - Good story OP

But if these were westernised families the wife would have been re-married after 3 yrs and had a new set of kids

After 7 years, the husband might be declared dead by a court allowing a wife to re-marry.

Stiffler2

Biggins wrote: »

After 7 years, the husband might be declared dead by a court allowing a wife to re-marry.

2 shay Biggins, 2 shay...

I Heart Internet

But when he finally came back
His hair had turned from black into bright white

Mmm Mmm Mmm Mmm

:rolleyes:

Wonderful ending to that story (even if the guy was 30 years away from his family). It's the kinda story that would make you smile.:D

ejmaztec

bluewolf wrote: »

i wonder did the wife find someone else in the meantime

or is he suddenly really rich now and out for revenge

Next step Bollywood.