HYDERABAD: At just 22 years old, Mohammad Khaleel Ghori has lived a life marked by incredible transitions, heartbreak, and rediscovery in a world often divided by religion and identity. Over the past decade, he has lived through three distinct identities – Khaleel, Altaf, and Abhinav Singh – each shaped by different circumstances.
Born and raised in Hyderabad, he vanished from his home at the age of 12, sparking a journey that would see him adopt new identities, religions, and families over the next decade.
Khaleel’s disappearance in 2014 began innocuously enough. “It was a day before the Samagra Kutumba Survey. We sent Khaleel with his cousin to photocopy our documents,” recalled his mother Sara. “He sent the papers back, saying he’d return later. Hours turned into days, and days into years, but he never came back.”
Sara spent the next decade searching for her son. “I’m happy he is finally back,” she said.
Khaleel remembers little from his early years in Hyderabad. “Before boarding a train to Delhi, I vaguely remember living with a man who told me my name was Altaf and that I had no family. That stayed with me, and I lived by it for the last 10 years,” he said Saturday. He eventually landed in a shelter home in Ghaziabad, assuming the name Altaf.
Three years ago, he was adopted by a Hindu family from Kanpur, who named him Abhinav Singh. “Outside school, I didn’t have many friends (in my adopted home). I spent my time studying or helping my mother with chores. I’m my sister’s stressbuster. Whenever she was in a bad mood or stressed about her preparations to become a govt teacher, I entertained her with my playful antics,” Khaleel said.
“I will miss my (adopted) sister the most,” he said. Khaleel’s return to his biological family was triggered when his adoptive parents tried to get him an Aadhaar card. His original Aadhaar details surfaced when his biometrics were entered, leading Hyderabad police to track him down.
On December 1, Khaleel met his biological mother and brother for the first time in a decade. “I was taken to meet two people I had never met before. I was told they were my biological mother and brother. I couldn’t recognise them, but they had all the proof – childhood photos, school records, even my Aadhaar card,” he said.
Khaleel now faces complex challenges, including navigating conflicting identity documents. His educational records list him as Abhinav Singh, while his original documents identify him as Khaleel, creating hurdles in continuing his education.
“We don’t know what to do now. His records show him as Abhinav, with his adoptive family’s details — father’s name, mother’s name, and address. He scored well in class 10 and 11 — 83% and 70% — but we might have to re-enrol him in class 10,” said Aqeel, his brother. To complicate matters further, Kanpur records list him as a 16-year-old, while his actual age is 22.
Neuropsychiatrist Charan Teja Koganti from KIMS Hospital in Hyderabad suggested that Khaleel might be experiencing dissociative amnesia. “When someone goes through trauma or neglect, the brain blocks out all important people or events. They even forget their identity. They form a new identity, either by themselves or given by someone else.”