Madrid, Spain: Fifteen years after being adopted by a Spanish couple, a 21-year-old woman has traveled back to India in search of her biological mother. Sneha Enrique Vidal, formerly known as Sneha, and her brother Somu were abandoned by their mother nearly two decades ago and placed in an orphanage in Bhubaneswar, Odisha, in 2005.

The siblings were adopted in 2010 by Gema Vidal and Juan Josh, a Spanish couple, and raised in Spain. Sneha, now a researcher specializing in children’s education, has returned to India with limited information about her origins but a strong determination to trace her roots.

“My journey back to Bhubaneswar is fueled by my wish to reconnect with my biological parents, especially my mother. I am ready to face any challenges that come my way,” Sneha shared in an interview with PTI.

Despite their challenging start in life, Sneha expressed deep gratitude toward her adoptive parents for showering her and her brother with unconditional love and ensuring they received the best education. “They never made us feel like we were adopted. They gave us everything we needed,” she said.

Sneha and Gema arrived in Bhubaneswar on December 19 and have been staying in a hotel while pursuing their search. Somu, however, could not join them as he had professional commitments in Spain. If they are unable to locate Sneha’s biological mother, Banalata Das, by Monday, they plan to return in March for a longer stay.

“We need to head back to Spain because Sneha has started a training program that she cannot miss. If we don’t find her biological mother within the next day, we will come back in March to continue the search,” Gema explained.

During their efforts in Bhubaneswar, they received assistance from Sneha Sudha Mishra, a retired teacher from Rama Devi Women’s University, who helped them uncover the names of Sneha’s biological parents. Local authorities, including Commissioner of Police Dev Datta Singh, assigned officers Anjali Chhotray and Gangadhar Pradhan to assist in tracking down the family.

“We have identified that Banalata Das and her husband Santosh are from the Badamba-Narsinghpur region in the Cuttack district. Our team, along with local panchayat officials, is working to locate them,” Inspector Anjali Chhotray told PTI.