A citizen of Kyrgyzstan missing for 14 years found in Russia
In Samara, a citizen of Kyrgyzstan, Kusan Sharipov, who had been listed as missing for 14 years, was found.
According to the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the republic, in 2002 the man left for work. In a conversation with the relatives of the missing person, the police learned that he had gone to the Samara region with his twin brother. After a while, their younger brother followed them.
After working for several months, the two brothers returned, while Kusan stayed behind to earn some more money. After that, contact with him was lost. The last time he called Osh on a landline was in 2004.
Search efforts yielded no results. Relatives even contacted the program "Wait for Me" on the Russian First Channel. They only had a 20-year-old photograph from his military service in Afghanistan. They visited Russia several times.
In 2017, information emerged that Sharipov had been seen in one of the villages in the Samara region.
"After that, hope was rekindled among his relatives, and they began to reach out to various authorities again. A citizen who reported seeing the missing person last year described his appearance to the staff of the Ministry of Internal Affairs over the phone," the Ministry of Internal Affairs reported.
Russian law enforcement agencies maintained contact with the Kyrgyz diaspora, checking all possible places where Sharipov might be, and interviewing people. Some said they had seen someone resembling Sharipov, but his whereabouts were unknown.
Kyrgyz police eventually established that the missing person had been living recently in the village of Pokrovka in the Samara region. Local residents recognized him. They believed he was either mute or uncommunicative. It turned out to be Kusan Sharipov.
He shared that he had found work as a tiler with local resident named Samvel, who promised them $2,000 but never paid. After finding another job in Samara and earning some money, he sent his brothers back home, saying he would come later. He then worked on construction sites, where he was not always paid, so he did not stay in one place for long. He lost his identification documents.
"He shared that he lost hope and the meaning of life, and did not want to return home empty-handed. He thought that no one was looking for him, that he was not needed by his relatives, and he felt hurt by them. He did not know that his family had come to the Samara region looking for him and had searched for him everywhere," the Ministry of Internal Affairs noted.
Kusan assured that no one was holding him in slavery. After the conversation, he agreed to go back home. He was immediately given the opportunity to contact his relatives by phone.
On July 12, 2018, Kusan Ismailovich Sharipov, who had been missing for fourteen years, was transported to Moscow to the Embassy of the Kyrgyz Republic. To facilitate his return home, the Ambassador of the Kyrgyz Republic in Russia instructed to expedite the preparation and processing of the necessary documents.
At the request of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, Kusan's twin brother and nephew flew to Moscow to meet with him. After all procedures were completed, Sharipov Kusan received a certificate granting him the right to return to the Kyrgyz Republic.
On the same day, July 13, 2018, Kusan Sharipov flew from Domodedovo Airport on the Moscow–Osh route with his relatives. He is currently in Osh at home.