The West Yorkshire city of Bradford has been plunged into a real-life mystery following the sudden reappearance of a man who had been missing for over five years.
The Day He Vanished
In May 2020, Ismail Ali finished his regular shift at Gulam Food Stores in the Lidget Green area of Bradford. Colleagues of the 46-year-old, described as polite and straightforward, expected him back at work the next day as usual. Instead, he walked out in his red-hooded top and disappeared without a trace.
As days stretched into months and then years, detectives began to fear the worst. Neighbours gradually accepted he was gone for good, and even his mother in India came to believe her son had been killed. Multiple missing person appeals failed to locate the bearded shop worker, who had known links to Dewsbury, Batley, and Blackburn.
A Dramatic Turn of Events
The case took a dramatic turn this week when West Yorkshire Police suddenly announced they had arrested five people – three women aged 47, 54, and 55, and two men aged 27 and 51 – on suspicion of Mr Ali's murder. A police press release stated that after extensive enquiries, they now suspected he was no longer alive and may have been murdered.
Yet, in an astonishing development less than 48 hours later, the now 51-year-old married man casually walked into a police station and told stunned officers: 'I'm alive.'
One friend, who asked to remain anonymous, suggested a motive for his return: 'I think he saw that some people close to him had been arrested on suspicion of his murder and so came back as he didn't want them to get into trouble. His conscience wouldn't allow him to continue hiding.'
Unravelling Five Silent Years
Police are now painstakingly working to understand where Mr Ali has been since May 29, 2020, and why he chose this precise moment to return. Their investigation took another surprising turn with the discovery of a large amount of cash during raids on three properties linked to his supposed murder, sparking a parallel money laundering investigation.
One of the raided homes was on the same road and just a stone's throw from Mr Ali's former workplace. Intriguingly, the two other properties were adjoining terraced houses in Beckside Close, a detail that has drawn comparisons to the case of 'canoe conman' John Darwin, who staged his own death while living secretly.
According to one friend, Mr Ali claimed to have been working in a shop in southern England for the past five years. Another friend revealed that before his disappearance, Mr Ali had been very stressed and experiencing problems with his wife, with frequent rows at home.
Mr Ali is not in custody or under arrest but is being 'safeguarded' by West Yorkshire Police while necessary checks are conducted. A number of those originally arrested remain on bail for money laundering offences, with enquiries ongoing.
His former employer at Gulam Food Stores expressed relief, saying: 'Now he has been found safe and sound. That is the good news. But we don't know where he went.' Meanwhile, a neighbour captured the community's disbelief, simply stating: 'It is like he came back from the dead.'
