Jaipur, May 23: Mukesh Sharma was 12 years old when his father, a labourer, disappeared from their residence in the pink city nearly 36 years ago. Mukesh and his elder brother hoped he would return one day, but just when they had painfully concluded that their father was no more, they heard from the police that Gajanand Sharma was lodged in a Pakistani jail.

“For years we waited but later lost all hope and thought that he was no more. Recently police officials approached our family to confirm his nationality and informed that he was lodged in a Pakistan jail,” the resident of city's Brahmpuri area said.

Jaipur Rural SP Rameshwar Singh said they had received an inquiry on May 1 from the police headquarters of Gajanand Sharma, who is believed to be lodged in a Pakistani jail.

"We wrote to all police stations to verify his nationality and details of the family... We have submitted our report to the headquarters,” he told PTI.

The Jaipur Rural Police had recently written to all police stations to verify 68-year-old Gajanand's identity. They had traced his family's roots in Maharkalan village falling under Samod police station and later found that the family had moved to Brahmpuri area in Jaipur nearly 50 years ago.

The SP said the further investigation would be done by the Jaipur Police Commissionerate. Their 62-year-old mother, Makhni Devi, is both elated about her husband being found and worried over the fact that he is in a Pakistani jail.

She said after he went missing, she ran from pillar to post but could not lodge a police complaint as she was illiterate. Gajanand worked as a labourer and often travelled for work, she added.

“I saw tough days after his disappearance. I took up a job at a private hospital to provide for the family. All I hope is that my husband returns home safely,” Makhni Devi said.

Mukesh, who is employed with the Health Department here, said when his father disappeared in 1982 he was 12 and his elder brother, Rakesh, was 15 years old. He said that they had given the police a ration card as identity proof.

“It was shocking for us to know that my father is in a Pakistani jail. We fail to understand how he ended up in Pakistan,” Mukesh said. The Sharma family is now hopeful that the state and central governments would intervene for his safe return.