- Hope Amid Silence: Indian family’s two-year search for missing worker in Dubai
For nearly two and a half years, the Jangid family from Rajasthan’s Jhunjhunu district has lived in torment. Their son, 39-year-old Rakesh Kumar Jangid, a marble installer who came to Dubai seeking work, vanished without a trace in July 2023 — leaving behind a wife, three children, and endless questions.
Rakesh’s disappearance began with a disturbing phone call on July 6, 2023. Using a stranger’s phone, he told his brother Makkhan Lal that two men were fighting on the floor where he worked and that one had claimed their sister was dead. Despite reassurances from home, Rakesh never called again.
Since then, his family’s life has unraveled. His brother travelled to Dubai, searching hospitals, jails, and mortuaries, but found nothing. The Consulate General of India confirmed that authorities continue to look for him and that no criminal case has been filed in the UAE. Rakesh’s visa expired in August 2023, yet official investigations suggest he remains in the country.
- In a heart-wrenching video appeal, his daughter Khushi, 18, pleads for help to find her father, holding his photograph with folded hands
- The family has petitioned Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and reached out to multiple agencies, but answers remain elusive
For Rakesh’s parents, every day is a silent prayer. They’ve already lost two sons — one in a train accident and another to stress following Rakesh’s disappearance. “We just want to know the truth,” Makkhan said. “Even if he’s gone, let us have closure.”
Their story reflects the painful uncertainty faced by migrant families across the world — where dreams of a better life sometimes fade into devastating silence.
