Mumbai: Vasai seafarer who lost job due to lockdown missing since Oct 15

A poster shared by Gamjya’s family members asking for his whereabouts. Pics/Hanif Patel

A 63-year-old seafarer from Vasai West, who lost his job due to the lockdown and thereafter started experiencing memory issues, has been missing since October 15. David Peter Gamjya's family members launched a search for him and found CCTV footage of him at Mumbai Central station on that day. However, he could not be traced further. The Vasai police filed a missing report on October 16 and are probing the matter.

Gamjya's relatives said that he had started a beer shop after losing the job, but incurred huge losses. "Earlier, he used to meet people when he was on leave. But he changed after losing his job during the lockdown. He was very disturbed and worried about meeting the expenses of his family," said Satish Gamjya, his cousin.

A video grab from CCTV footage shows David Peter Gamjya loitering aimlessly at Mumbai Central station on October 15

After this, he developed short-term memory loss and would often tell his wife that he was heading to the office of the shipping firm where he used to work. "He would often tell his wife, ‘I need to go to the office', or ‘I am going to get my salary from the office', and leave," Gamjya's brother-in-law Amit Koli told mid-day. "Around a fortnight before he went missing, he had left the house in a similar manner but was stopped in Vasai by some known people who brought him back home," he added.

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Probe by relatives

Besides filing a police complaint after he went missing, worried relatives and friends started a search operation and retrieved CCTV footage from railway premises in which Gamjya was seen loitering aimlessly.

Satish said, "He left home around 4 pm on October 15 and reached Vasai at 4.45 pm. He then boarded a Churchgate-bound AC local train. At 6.01 pm, he was spotted at Mumbai Central station, roaming aimlessly on the platforms. He could not be seen in any other footage from CCTVs in the station or outside the station."

"We have also checked the accidental death reports in Government Railway Police records and medico legal cases in different police stations, but could not find any lead," he said, adding, "We also visited many hospitals, but all the efforts were futile."

He added that Gamjya was not carrying his mobile phone or cash. "The only document he had at the time was his passport," Gamjya said. Koli told mid-day that the passport had expired.

Cop Speak

An officer attached to the Vasai police station told mid-day that a missing person's complaint has been filed in this regard. "We have checked multiple CCTV footage but he is not seen anywhere beyond Mumbai Central station. It seems that he boarded some long-distance train from the station. We are trying our best to search for him," the cop said.

6.01 pm
Time on Oct 15 when Gamjya was last spotted at Mumbai Central station