VIJAYAWADA: It was an emotional reunion of 16-year-old girl Kodipetla Bhavani with her biological parents Madhava Rao and Varalakshmi from Vizianagaram on Sunday after a 12-year separation. A day after Mohan Vamseedhar Batchu, a Vijayawada-based consultancy firm owner, traced her parents in a serendipitous fashion when Bavani approached him for a job as domestic help in his household, the police and Child Welfare Committee (CWC) oversaw the reunion of the girl with her parents.
However, the denouement had a twist in the morning when Bhavani’s adoptive parents Jeeva Ratnam and Jayamma had a shade of doubt about the authenticity of the claim of her biological parents and wanted police to subject them to a DNA test. Bhavani met her mother Varalakshmi, father Madhava Rao and two brothers Santosh and Gopi at Vamseedhar’s house at Patamata.
Jayamma and Jeeva Rathnam agreed to allow Bhavani to go with her biological parents to Chipuripalle in village of Vizianagaram district after overcoming their initial apprehensions.“Taking the girl’s confidence into consideration, we handed her to her biological parents on certain conditions. Though she is a minor, we respected her decision. There is no need for Varalakshmi and Madhava Rao to undergo a DNA test to confirm that they are her biological parents,” said CWC chairman DVH Kumar.
The couple told TNIE that they had lost Bhavani when she was four while they were working in Hyderabad.
“We lodged a police complaint at that time, but to no avail. After that, we had left Hyderabad and gone back to our home in Chipuripalle. This day is very special in our lives as we got our daughter back. Everytime we remembered Bhavani we used to cry. We are happy now,” Madhava Rao told TNIE.
Jeeva Ratnam and Jayamma, who used to live in the same colony in Hyderabad as Varalakshmi and Madhava Rao, found the girl crying on the road and made every possible effort to find her parents. Finally, they had decided to adopt the girl with the help of police after fulfilling legal formalities. Later, the couple shifted to Vijayawada. “We raised Bhavani along with my two daughters without any discrimination. Though we feel very sad that Bhavani is leaving us, we are happy that she has found her biological parents,” Jayamma said.
Bhavani said she would keep visiting her adoptive parents frequently.“I have never expected to see this day. I have missed my family all these years. Both are equally dear to me. While one gave me birth, another raised me all these years with unalloyed love and care, despite the fact that they found me on the pavement. I will make it a point to visit my adoptive parents at least once a month and take them to my native village,” said Bhavani.
When TNIE asked Patamata circle inspector Ravi Suresh Reddy whether any case was registered, he said, “We did not see any reason for this. Under the guidance of senior police official and Child Welfare Committee, we have solved the issue in an amicable manner.”