Influencer Cop in UP Reunites 77-Year-Old Mother With Son Missing for a Decade

Meerut: A head constable in Uttar Pradesh, Ashwani Malik, combined his policing duties with his social media reach to achieve what a family in Deoria had nearly given up hope on — reuniting a 77-year-old mother with her son who had been missing for more than ten years.

Malik, 35, posted a short video on Instagram of a frail, silent man sitting on a charpoy. The clip caught the attention of a Mumbai resident who recognized him as his missing uncle, Mohd Salim. A video call that same evening confirmed the identity: Salim, long presumed lost, was indeed alive. For his mother, Rasuma Bano, the moment was nothing short of miraculous.

Malik first came across Salim on August 23 while returning from duty in Moradabad. The man appeared disoriented, unkempt, and emotionally withdrawn. Along with his colleagues Mohd Salman and Kashif, Malik offered him food and shelter, cleaned him up, and gradually coaxed him into conversation. Though words were sparse, the short video Malik uploaded reached more than just his 4.5 million Instagram followers — it reached the family that had been searching for a decade.

Police later confirmed Salim’s identity. He had once lived in Haraiya village in Deoria district but left home after his wife’s death twelve years ago. Unable to cope with the grief, he cut himself off from his family. In the intervening years, his mother endured the uncertainty of his absence, and his father passed away without knowing his fate. His return on September 4, formally facilitated by the police, restored not only a son but also a measure of closure for his elderly mother.

“My grandmother never thought this day would come,” said Mohd Gufran, Salim’s nephew. “She broke down during the video call. His return has given her a reason to live again.”

For Malik, this was the fifth time his social media outreach had led to the reunion of a missing person with their family. Raised in Muzaffarnagar and joining the police force in 2012, Malik has long sought to bridge the gap between the public and the khaki uniform. “I always believed we could change perceptions, not through power, but through presence,” he said.

His social media journey began in 2020 with workout videos, drawing a young audience that later gravitated towards his quiet, observational posts about life on duty. Today, his account stands out for its simplicity and sincerity. “I don’t understand algorithms,” Malik admitted. “I just try to help where I can. If a face is recognized, a family comes back together, and someone regains hope — that’s more than enough.”