The international search operation to find a man from Johannesburg, who was thought to have lost in India last month, was stopped after he contacted his family just last week.

The relatives and colleagues of Shaun Gounden, 34 years old, began their anxious search after he did not make contact with them since 9 February. Gounden departed from South Africa last 5 February on a scheduled holiday for three weeks in India. After his Indian tour, he was expected to fly to Afghanistan where Gounden will serve as a volunteer English teacher at one of the country’s orphanages.

Gounden’s sister, Sudashini, said that her family and friends had earlier sought the help of the South African embassy in India, and the Indian embassy in Johannesburg and Pretoria. Moreover, they had contacted airlines and local authorities, and sent dozens of emails to different volunteer groups – including to the Indian Tourism Agency, and the US and the UK embassies in India. She further added that they had also raised cash to acquire the service of a private investigator to help find Gounden.

Sudashini said that her family and friends are happy to receive an email sent by Gounden. He said that he was recovering from an illness and will chat with them soon. Sudashini said that his brother was unaware that he was previously reported missing and that an international search was earlier made for him.

Despite Gounden’s initial contact, his family is still not certain of his current situation because he failed to give any contact detail in his email. Gounden just said that he is currently staying in a Tibetan community located in the outskirts of New Delhi.