Missing Since 17 Years, How AI Helped Woman Reunite With Family

A missing girl report filed over a decade ago, combined with facial recognition and advanced AI technology, has helped reunite a young Pakistani woman with her family after 17 years.

Kiran, who uses only one name, lost her way and forgot her home address in Islamabad in 2008 when she stepped out to buy ice cream.

“I was lost and crying. I remember a kind woman took me to the Edhi Centre in Islamabad because I couldn’t recall anything,” said Kiran, now 27.

A few days later, Bilquis Edhi, wife of the late Abdul Sattar Edhi — the founder of the Edhi Foundation — brought her to Karachi. Since then, Kiran grew up under Bilquis’ care at the Abdul Sattar Edhi shelter home.

Sabah Faisal Edhi, wife of the foundation’s current chairperson Faisal Edhi, said several trips were made to Islamabad to trace Kiran’s parents, but without success.

Earlier this year, the foundation reached out to Nabeel Ahmed, a cybersecurity expert with Punjab’s Safe City Project, an initiative launched in 2018.

“We shared Kiran’s latest photographs and the little information she remembered about her childhood and neighborhood,” Sabah explained.

Nabeel took a keen interest in the case. He found a missing girl report from Islamabad and, using AI-powered facial recognition and tracking tools, managed to locate her family.

Soon after, Abdul Majeed, a tailor, arrived in Karachi to take his daughter home. He said his family searched for years, even publishing her photo in newspapers, but received no leads. “I had lost all hope until Safe City officials contacted me saying they had found my daughter,” he said.

An emotional Kiran added, “I’m sad to leave my family here. I will always be grateful to Bilquis apa and her family for taking such good care of us.”

Kiran is the fifth girl from the Edhi shelter whose family has been traced, as the foundation now works closely with police and Safe City Projects across Pakistan.