A farmer from Samtse with the help of a relative posted on Facebook on April 2, asking people to contact the family if they knew about his son’s whereabouts. 

According to, Man Dosh Ghalley, his son, Dal Bahadur Ghalley, left for further studies to Sri Lanka on scholarship in 2012. He came home once in 2016 and the family has not heard from or about him since.

“He used to call us and keep in touch with the relatives on Facebook,” Man Dosh Ghalley said. “We were told that a Facebook account with the name Sahil Ghalley with his profile picture says he is married and lives in Gangtok, Sikkim.”

Man Dosh Ghalley said that when Dal Bahadur Ghalley told him that he got a scholarship for further studies, he did not even ask where and in which university he was going to. “Even if I did, I would not have been able to figure out.”

Family and relatives gave Dal Bahadur Ghalley Nu 30,000 when he first left for studies.

An official with the Department of Adult and Higher Education (DAHE) said that the office called Man Dosh Ghalley when they saw the post on Facebook.

“We checked the list of students who went for government scholarship and there was no student named Dal Bahadur Ghalley in the list,” the official said.

Government scholarship students have a time frame to return to the country after completion of their studies.

“They have to be back to the country within the given time frame and we monitor it,” the official said. “The family is not able to provide any information about the university or the country where the student went to. So it is difficult to trace him.”

Dal Bahadur Ghalley’s cousin said that they both completed Class 12 from Yangchenphug Higher Secondary School in Thimphu in 2011. “He scored good marks in board examination and he was also very good in table tennis because of which he got the scholarship from Bhutan Olympic Committee (BOC).”

Records with the BOC revealed that no student named Dal Bahadhur Ghalley availed of the BOC scholarship. BOC officials said that most of the BOC scholarships are within the country; only a few are sent to Japan. 

Dal Bahadur Ghalley’s uncle said the family has not filed any formal complaint. “He never contacted me after he went for further studies. His parents, both uneducated, do not know where he actually went and we do not have any concrete information to report to police. I am trying to trace his whereabouts.”

“I wonder why he is not contacting us. We are worried,” Man Dosh Ghalley said.

Dechen Tshomo