Kolkata, March 20 : An elderly and mute woman was rescued by the police from outside the Howrah railway station on Thursday morning, an official said.

Thanks to efforts by amateur radio operators, her home was traced to Ballia in Uttar Pradesh within a few hours.

"The woman, who is over 80 years old, was taken to the nearby Golabari police station. Sudip Singha, the officer-in-charge, realised that she was ill and got her admitted to the Howrah district hospital and informed us. It was a big problem as she was unable to communicate," said Ambarish Nag Biswas, secretary, West Bengal Radio Club (WBRC).

Nag Biswas' team then got her photograph circulated across the country through the vast network of HAM enthusiasts.

Within hours, it came to be known that she is a resident of the Bairia Nagar Panchayat in Ballia district of Uttar Pradesh.

"We immediately got in touch with the local administration there. We soon realised that nobody knows her real name. She is known as 'Gungi' there. However, she is well respected in Bairia, as she donated everything to the local Hanumanji Temple after her husband's death. She also started residing at the temple," Nag Biswas said.

It turned out that the woman travelled to the Gangasagar Mela, held in West Bengal in January every year, with a large group from Bairia. While on the train back, people realised that the woman was missing.

Over the last two months, at least two teams travelled to West Bengal from Ballia to try and locate her whereabouts, but returned empty handed.

"On Thursday, we showed her a photograph of the temple in Bairia and she broke down. We realised that she has recognised it. The district magistrate of Ballia Praveen Kumar Laxkar has directed the Bairia police to make arrangements for the woman's safe return," Nag Biswas said.

The WBRC, an organisation of amateur radio enthusiasts, did not remain confined to their hobby of communicating across the world, using their two-way radio kits.

Since 1991, the organisation started playing a key role during natural calamities, creating an alternative mode of communication, when conventional methods were affected. Later, the WBRC took to reuniting people - particularly those with mental ailments - with their families.

Ultimately, the government took notice and engaged them officially to keep an alternative line of communication open during events such as the Gangasagar Mela and natural disasters.

Authorities also take their help in tracing the families of mentally-challenged people found on the streets.

The WBRC has successfully reunited hundreds of people with their families over the last few years. Some of them have returned home after decades.

Today, the organisation is a household name in West Bengal and has also featured in a research paper on how amateur radio has played a major role in disaster relief.

/IANS