Mumbai: Air India staffer missing, police lodge FIR a month later

This picture was used for representational purposes

An Air India staff went missing and the officers at the Andheri police station filed an FIR a month after his family registered a missing case. According to a report in The Times of India, the family of the staffer, identified as Deepak Panchal, alleged that the police are trying to delay the investigation in the case.

The report mentioned that Panchal had gone missing on September 29 after he left his brother's home in Andheri without informing anyone. His nephew Vishal was quoted by the report saying that the left his home after taking Rs 100 from his father. He also informed his mother that he will be away from home for two days. He added that although Panchal had retired from Air India, he was employed on a contract in the company and was staying with his family for the past three years.

The police said that while tracking Panchal's phone, they found that he had gone to Lokhandwala Complex in Andheri before tracing him to Surat, where he was last located. Panchal's lawyer Falguni Brahmabhatt expressed her over the police's action in a tweet where she mentioned that Panchal was 'kidnapped' but Mumbai Police has no time to trace him.

The deputy commissioner of police (Zone X) said that the tweet was then converted the tweet into a report after which they learned that Panchal, who is unmarried, was in debt as he lost his money in betting.

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