Karnataka tourism driver goes missing from Nair Hospital

Mariappa Uppar

Days after a BEST bus driver was admitted to the Nair Hospital for consuming poison before attacking two of his colleagues with a sickle, it has come to the fore that a 50-year-old driver from the North West Karnataka Road Transport Corporation (NWKRTC) has been missing from the hospital for almost two weeks now.

Mariappa Uppar (in pic) had reached Mumbai from Belgaum around 7.30 am on September 4. After alighting at Mumbai Central depot, he was on his way to the washroom when he passed out. "He was going to the washroom when he complained of dizziness before collapsing," said P H Tukaram, labour officer from NWKRTC, who was in the city to investigate the case. Uppar was rushed to the Nair hospital by 8.30 am, where he was admitted to ward number 22 on the seventh floor. He was later subjected to various tests, including CT scan, blood, urine and other pathological tests after admission.

By 12.30 pm his colleagues went down to pay money at the cash counter, while Uppar was resting. But when they returned to the ward, Uppar was missing. Despite a frantic search, the driver remained untraceable. Uppar did not even report for duty, which was scheduled for 6 pm that evening. "We are helping our counterparts in Karnataka to trace the missing driver. We have sought police help," MSRTC spokesperson Mukund Dhus said.

A missing person complaint was filed at the Agripada police station. "His brother-in-law stays in Mumbai, but he didn't visit him either," Tukaram said. Uppar is married and has four children.