25-yr-old missing for 51 days,police hunt for clues

A Bachelor of Chemical Engineering from Thapar University,Patiala,and handling the family business of packaging goods for the past four years,Aditya,as per his family,is a social person and has many friends. “Like any other day,Aditya came home after completing work in the office that evening. He went out for a party at a club in Sector 27. While he was present there,one of his friends gave a call on Aditya’s mobile phone,asking him to come to Zirakpur. As Aditya had to leave,he first dropped two of his friends in Sector 19 in his car. He even asked one of his two friends to accompany him to Zirakpur. However,the friend refused. Thus,Aditya probably went alone to the appointed destination and has not returned since then,” his father told Newsline.

However,there lies a twist in the tale. According to the police,the caller who asked Aditya to come to Zirakpur had snatched a mobile phone of a rickshaw puller,Anokha Singh. The call to Aditya was made from Singh’s phone. The police suspect that it was a deliberate attempt by the caller to escape the police net.

On investigation,the last tower location of Aditya’s mobile phone was found to be in Zirakpur.

Significantly,many of Aditya’s friends reside in Zirakpur. “We personally know most of Aditya’s friends. That too for a very long time. We do not suspect any of them. However,the person who made the last call to Aditya must be a well-known acquaintance. Otherwise,Aditya would have never gone to Zirakpur,” said Vijay.

Aditya carries two phones with him: an Apple iPhone and BlackBerry. The last call made to Aditya was on his BlackBerry phone,police said. Moreover,soon after Aditya left for Zirakpur,both his phones were found to be switched off.

“We provided help to the Chandigarh Police around three weeks ago by locating Aditya’s friends who reside in Zirakpur,” said a senior officer of the Mohali police.

However,a senior officer of the Chandigarh Police said,“Currently,call records of Aditya’s mobile phone are being analysed to find clues about his location.”

“We have not received any call for extortion yet. Also,in our knowledge,Aditya did not have enmity with anyone. The motive of the abduction remains unclear,but by the manner in which he has been missing till now,it appears to be a case of abduction,” said Vijay. “Aditya usually spends money by using debit/credit cards. He hardly keeps any cash in his wallet. Since that night,no transactions have been made from his cards as well.”

“Handling the chemical unit,Aditya has been selectively picking new employees. He never shouts on any of our employees. He is a good son. Hopefully,he will return soon,” his father added.