Helping the police search for a missing man in the woods must have seemed like a good citizen to 50-year-old Beyhan Mutlu from Turkey. Were it not that the missing man in question was himself. And Mutlu only understood this when one of the rescuers shouted his name.
What happened in Inegöl, in Turkey, is a paradoxical story that takes on the contours of a Pirandello novel. The man, at the end of an evening with friends during which he had drunk a lot, was unable to find his way home by wandering for hours in the woods outside the city. Long enough for friends, worried about his absence, to report his disappearance.
According to local and international media reports, the 50-year-old was in a club with friends when he suddenly disappeared heading towards the woods. Seeing that he was not returning, the people who were with him alerted the authorities, who organized a search team. Several volunteers also joined the latter.
According to reports from the Daily Mail, Mutlu stumbled upon the search group while wandering through the woods deciding to join rescuers and volunteers, unknowingly looking for himself for hours. Until one of those present shouted his name and he replied: «I’m here». After clarifying the situation, the police took him home. It is unclear why no one noticed before that the missing person was right there with them.
However, this is not the first time such a case has occurred. In 2012, an Asian tourist reported missing in Iceland joined the search for her disappearance after failing to recognize herself in the description released by the police.