Child stuck in India brought home by a stranger after two years away from his parents
A Melbourne family have finally been reunited with their eldest son after two years – thanks to a stranger.
Tom Jose and Joicy Ephrem, who are both mental health nurses, have finally got Ephrem, five, home from India after saying goodbye to him two years ago,
They sent him to spend time with both their families in Kerala, in June 2019, as is common in their culture.
But when the borders were closed due to coronavirus in March 2020, he remained trapped there, a situation Mr Jose described as “horrible”.
They had tried to go and fetch him, but feared all getting stuck there away from their jobs, with 10,500 still stranded in the nation due to Australia’s travel caps which limit numbers allowed home.
But thanks to Linda Thomas and her husband Joby, from Tamworth in NSW, the family is now together again.
Her and her husband brought not one but two young children home with them.
Ephrem was joined by Mrs Jose in hotel quarantine before reuniting with the rest of the family this week.
Mr Jose, 34, said he was overcome when he saw his son at Melbourne Airport.
He told 9News.com.au he had “joyful tears in his eyes”.
“We are so excited and happy,” he said.
“We had been trying to bring him back.”
Mother Joicy, said it was “very, very exciting,” to see him again.
She described Linda as “amazing” for bringing him back.
“Linda said Ephram was very good,” she said.
Ephram also got to meet his baby brother Ezekiel, six months, for the first time.
His added while they were unsure about sending their son to travel with a stranger, once they talked to Mrs Thomas they trusted her.
They have still yet to meet her in person.
The couple are permanent residents of Australia and will soon become citizens, and Ephrem was born here.
Mrs Thomas said her and her husband also brought another child on the journey home.
“I’m a mother, I have three kids and if I was in that position I would be desperate to find someone to bring my child home,” she said.
“I was like, why not?
“The kids were really very brave.”
About 200 children were stranded in India at the start of the month.
9News.com.au has asked DFAT what the latest number is.
Overall, a total of 34,000 Australians have told DFAT they want to come home, but only a few thousand a week can come into the country, and must pay about $3000 for hotel quarantine.
Australians can now apply to leave the country under the ongoing travel ban to go to India to bring their stranded child home with them.
Getting flights home remains difficult and expensive due to the flight caps and hotel quarantine.
A DFAT spokesperson said its “highest priority at this time is helping vulnerable Australians overseas.”
“Around 10,400 Australians including citizens and permanent residents in India are currently registered with the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade as wanting to return,” it said in a statement.
“We encourage Australians seeking to return to Australia to register their details with DFAT.
“Since March 2020, almost 22,300 Australians registered with DFAT have returned from India, of which over 8,000 were directly assisted on 50 facilitated flights departing from India.”
